Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Bangkok bomber? Thai police release chilling CCTV of suspect seen walking into shrine with a rucksack - then leaving without it moments before devastating blast which left 21 dead

Police investigating the Bangkok bomb blast have released these CCTV images of a suspect reportedly spotted placing a bag at the scene minutes before the explosion that has killed at 21 people and injured more than 120 others
Thai authorities are looking for a suspect seen on CCTV at the site of a devastating pipe bomb blast in central Bangkok.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the man was seen on closed-circuit television footage near the site of a bomb blast that killed 22 people yesterday, including eight foreigners.
"I have ordered the cameras be checked because there is one suspect, but it is not clear who he is," Prayuth told reporters at Bangkok's Government House.
No images of the individual have yet been released.

The blast in a busy tourist area of Bangkok killed at least 12 people and has injured at least 20
Huge Blast: The bomb went off in a busy tourist area of Bangkok killed at least 22 people
Police are also investigating reports a woman was seen putting a bag inside a shrine near the site where the explosion took place, around 15 minutes before the suspected bomb went off.
Scenes of devastation: A policeman photographs debris from the explosion which occurred in central Bangkok, Thailand
Thai authorities have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for Monday’s bomb blast, but officials said the bombing did not match tactics used by insurgents in the south.
Police teams were deployed to the blood-splattered site early this morning, some wearing white gloves and carrying plastic bags, searching for clues.
Scene of devastation after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok
Shocking Scene: The devastation after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine
"Police are not ruling out anything including (Thai) politics and the conflict of ethnic Uighurs who, before this, Thailand sent back to China," National Police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang told reporters.
Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of the Turkic-speaking and largely Muslim minority have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities.
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Many Casualties: Thai rescue workers transport an injured person after a bomb exploded
Many Uighurs have travelled through Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters there were "still anti-government groups out there" but gave no further details.
Officials have not blamed any group for the bombing at the Erawan shrine, which the government called a bid to destroy the economy. No one has claimed responsibility.
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Ongoing Investigation: Policemen inspect the cordoned-off site of a bomb blast at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok's tourist and commercial centre
Prayuth said the attack, which took place during rush hour in the capital's bustling commercial hub, was unprecedented in Thailand.
Police Chief Somyot said the blast was caused by a pipe bomb.
National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said the death toll stood at 22, with 123 people wounded.
Three Chinese were among the dead, China's official Xinhua news agency said. Two Hong Kong residents, two people from Malaysia and one person from the Philippines also died, officials said.
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Clean Up: Sweepers clean the intersection at the cordoned-off site of a bomb blast
Scores of people were wounded, including many from China and Taiwan.
Thailand has been riven for a decade by a sometimes violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
Occasional small blasts have been blamed on one side or the other.
Two pipe bombs exploded outside a luxury shopping mall in the same area in February, but caused little damage.
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Suspect Hunt: Authorities are looking for someone captured on CCTV before the blast
Thai forces are also fighting a low-level Muslim insurgency in the predominantly Buddhist country's south, but those rebels have rarely launched attacks outside their heartland.
"This does not match with incidents in southern Thailand. The type of bomb used is also not in keeping with the south," Royal Thai Army chief and deputy defence minister General Udomdej Sitabutr said in a televised interview
A man who was seen 15 minutes before the explosion placing a bag at the shrine is being treated as a possible suspect

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