You compare the crimes of terrorists with keystone cops?
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Huge explosion rocks central Bangkok - casualties reported
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You compare the crimes of terrorists with keystone cops?
Thai police chief links China's Uygur minority to Bangkok bomb for the first time
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 5:22pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 7:29pm
Agence France-Presse
Police investigate the scene at the Erawan Shrine after an explosion in Bangkok on August 17, 2015. Photo: AP
Thailand’s police chief on Tuesday linked the Bangkok bomb to China’s Uygur minority, the first time he has referenced the ethnic group after weeks of skirting around their possible involvement in the attack.
Police believe Abudusataer Abudureheman, also known as Ishan from China's Xinjiang province, organised the bombing, which killed 20 people. Photo: AFP
The August 17 bombing killed 20 people, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China, raising the possibility of a link to militants or supporters of the Uygurs, an ethnic group who say they face heavy persecution in China.
A month earlier Thailand had forcibly deported more than 100 Uygur refugees to China, sparking international condemnation as well as violent protests in Turkey, where nationalist hardliners see the minority as part of a global Turkic-speaking family.
Police however blame a gang of people smugglers for the attack, motivated by revenge for a crackdown on their lucrative trade through Thailand, a motive which has been widely dismissed by security experts.
“The cause was the human trafficking networks -- networks transferring Uygurs from one country to another. Thai authorities destroyed or obstructed their human trafficking businesses,” Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters on Tuesday, explaining the apparent motive for the attack.
A woman worships to a statue of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation, at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok last week. Photo: EPA
It was the first time Thai police have formally referenced the Uygurs in relation to the case, after issuing a retraction of a mention of the group over the weekend.
Analysts say Thailand is keen to avoid naming Uygurs for economic and diplomatic reasons.
Chinese visitors are a linch pin of the tourist industry, and Beijing remains one of the increasingly isolated Thai junta’s few international allies.
But arrest warrants, passports and travel itineraries of the main suspects all point towards the involvement of militants from the ethnic group or their supporters.
Nearly a month on, Thailand has two foreigners in custody and a dozen arrest warrants issued.
One of the two suspects in custody, Yusufu Mieraili, was arrested with a Chinese passport that gave a Xinjiang birthplace.
Almost all the other identified suspects have Turkish sounding names or links.
Mostly Muslim Uygurs have long accused Beijing of religious and cultural repression in China’s far western Xinjiang region, with hundreds of refugees believed to have fled in recent years, often heading to Turkey via Southeast Asia.
Cops link Bangkok bombing to human smuggling in China
Nattasuda Anusondisai, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 12:46 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 01:04 PM EDT
People pray after a religious ceremony at the Erawan shrine, the site of a recent deadly blast, after its was repaired, in central Bangkok, Thailand, September 4, 2015. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
BANGKOK -- Thailand's national police chief said Tuesday that authorities are now certain that last month's deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine was related to the trafficking of Uighur Muslims from China to Turkey.
Somyot Poompanmoung's comments marked the first time authorities have publicly linked the Aug. 17 bombing to the smuggling of Uighurs, after weeks of hinting at it and saying only that they believe the attack was carried out by human traffickers angered by a crackdown on their network.
In the past week, several Turkish and Chinese links to the bombing appeared to strengthen the theory that the attack was to avenge Thailand's forced repatriation of more than 100 ethnic Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) to China in July. The deportations stirred anger in Turkey, where the Thai Consulate in Istanbul was attacked by a group protesting the expulsions.
Uighurs, an ethnic minority in western China, are related to Turks, and Turkey is home to a large Uighur community.
"It's a network that smuggles Uighurs from one country to the other," Somyot told reporters. "The bombing at Rajaprasong resulted from the fact that Thai authorities destroyed or disrupted their human trafficking network and they couldn't continue their business."
Rajaprasong is the area of Bangkok where the bombing at the busy Erawan Shrine occurred. The blast killed 20 people and injured more than 120.
Thai authorities have avoided calling the bombing an act of terrorism, which they fear would harm Thailand's image as a tourist destination. For the same reason, authorities said they wanted to avoid singling out motives linked to specific countries or religious groups.
Somyot said the bombing and the attack of the consulate in Istanbul "came from the same cause," apparently referring to the trafficking network. "We destroyed their business, which caused anger," he said.
On Monday, police said a key suspect in the bombing travelled with a Chinese passport and had fled to Turkey.
The suspect, identified as Abudureheman Abudusataer, left Thailand on Aug. 16 for Bangladesh, said national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri. He said information gathered by Thai police and Bangladeshi officials showed that the man departed Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, on Aug. 30 and travelled to Istanbul as his final destination, via New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.
Thai police had previously said the man may have directed the bombing.
"He departed Dhaka on Aug. 30 for Delhi by Jet Airways," Prawut said. "From Delhi, he continued his travel to Abu Dhabi, and from Abu Dhabi he travelled on Aug. 31 to Istanbul. This is his final destination. It's clear."
A senior Turkish government official, however, denied that the man had escaped to the country.
A statement issued Tuesday by Ankara's diplomatic mission in Thailand said it had not been contacted by Thai authorities about the allegations that the suspect had fled to Turkey.
Two other key bombing suspects have been arrested and are in custody, charged with possession of illegal explosives. One of them was captured at an apartment on the outskirts of Bangkok where police also discovered bomb-making material, and was in possession of a fake Turkish passport, police said.
The other was caught near the border between Thailand and Cambodia and was carrying a Chinese passport. Police said his fingerprints were found on a container with explosive material confiscated from the apartment
Confusion over the identity of suspect
THE NATION September 17, 2015 1:00 am
Lawyer to seek Turkey Embassy's assistance; Jakthip returns from Malaysia with 'useful info'
THE LAWYER for Bilal Muhammed, one of the first men to be arrested in connection with the Bangkok bomb blast last month, will call on the Turkish embassy tomorrow to verify information given by his client.
Deputy national police chief General Jakthip Chaijinda returned from Malaysia yesterday, saying he had useful information to track down accomplices of those involved in the attack.
Lawyer Chuchart Kanpai said on Nation Channel that he plans to seek the help of the Turkish embassy to confirm statements made by Muhammed.
Earlier identified as Adem Karadag based on his fake passport, Muhammed was captured at an apartment in Bangkok where some bomb-making materials were also seized on August 26.
Thai authorities believe these materials were related to the recent blasts in the capital.
"But he told me that he entered Thailand on August 21," the lawyer said.
The bloody bomb attack on the Erawan Shrine took place on August 17, killing 20 people and wounding more than 100. The following day, an explosive blew up harmlessly under Sathorn Pier.
Chuchart said he did not believe everything that Muhammed has told him.
"I will try to find the truth. If he violated laws, he will be punished," he said.
Muhammed was cited as saying that he was born in China, is of Uighur origin and had migrated to Turkey in 2004 along with his family.
His family has already obtained Turkish citizenship, though he has not yet received his Turkish passport, so he had to use a counterfeit one to travel to Vietnam in the hope of finding a job in Southeast Asia.
"He said he had US$4,000 [Bt143,840] in his pocket when he left Turkey. In Vietnam, he met a man known as Abdullah who provided him with a new fake passport for $1,200," Chuchart said.
Abdullah took Muhammed from Vietnam to Laos and then Thailand.
"He said he expected to travel to Malaysia to seek a job there," the lawyer said.
Chuchart was quoted in earlier reports as saying that the suspect had insisted he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that he did not play any role in the bomb plot.
The Abdullah referred to by Muhammed is most probably Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, or Izan, who flew out of Bangkok on August 16 to unclear destinations and is one of the 12 suspects wanted by Thai authorities. Police reportedly asked Turkey for cooperation to trace his whereabouts.
On Tuesday, the Turkish embassy issued a statement saying it has not yet been contacted by Thai authorities to verify any information about Izan and that it has no information concerning the investigation.
A police source said officials from the Turkish embassy had come to the Metropolitan Police Headquarters yesterday to help check more than 200 passports that police had retrieved from the apartment where Muhammed was nabbed.
Jakthip refused to confirm whether any of the three suspects in Malaysian custody were the yellow-shirted suspect seen in footage before the Erawan Shrine blast or the blue-shirted suspect accused of the Sathorn Pier blast.
"We need to investigate further," he said.
He added that either he or another senior Thai police officer might be allowed to interrogate the three suspects in Malaysia today.
Police has already gained a lot of information on the yellow-shirted man, he said.
National police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang dismissed reports that the recent Bangkok bombings were in retaliation for Thailand's deportation of Uighurs to China.
Thai police issue arrest warrant for Pakistani over Bangkok blast
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 17 September, 2015, 10:59pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 17 September, 2015, 10:59pm
Associated Press in Bangkok
The suspect, Abdul Tawab, was believed to have frequented the apartment that contained explosives. Photo: EPA
Thai police on Thursday obtained an arrest warrant for a Pakistani man in connection with last month’s deadly bombing in Bangkok that the authorities blame on a people-smuggling gang that moves ethnic Uygurs out of China.
Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said the warrant for Abdul Tawab cites charges of conspiracy to possess unauthorised explosives and conspiracy to possess unauthorised war materials. The warrant was based partly on testimony that he had frequented an apartment where police found bomb-making materials and arrested another suspect.
Tawab is the first Pakistani suspect wanted in connection with the August 17 bombing that killed 20 people. Twelve previous warrants seek the arrests of a Thai woman and 11 men who are believed to be Turkish or Chinese, or whose nationalities are unknown. Two men have been arrested so far.
Thai police are also searching for this man, who is believed to be a Uygur. Photo: AFP
Police say the motive for the bombing at the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok’s Rajprasong intersection was revenge for Thai authorities having interfered in their smuggling business, though they have not detailed how. They insist the perpetrators are part of a criminal network, and did not have political motives.
There has been speculation that the attack might have been done to punish Thailand for forcibly repatriating more than 100 Uygurs to China in July. Uygurs allege they are oppressed under Chinese rule, and a small and sometimes violent separatist movement is active. Uygurs are Muslims, and there are also fears that some Uygurs have allied themselves with international jihadist groups.
Thai officials insist the attack was unrelated to any kind of political terrorism, and only on Wednesday did police even publicly acknowledge that the alleged people-smuggling ring moved Uygurs from China to Turkey, where they have linguistic and ethnic links. The identification of previous suspects as being from Xinjiang, the west China home of the Uygurs, and from Turkey seemed to support a link to the Uygur political cause, but the naming of a Pakistani suspect bolsters the police theory that the case involves a multinational smuggling gang.
“This network is related to the smuggling of illegal workers. Most of them were not forced, they wanted to go to this and that country without being caught,” Prawut said. “The people who planted the bomb at Rajprasong used this network’s services.”
Asked if the Pakistani suspect was still in Thailand, Prawut said he would check with immigration police, adding that the authorities had found a woman they believed was his girlfriend. He appeared to be referring to a woman detained this past weekend on an apartment in Bangkok. No charges have yet been filed against her. Thai media have speculated that the Pakistani man may have fled across Thailand’s southern border, and could be one of three people Malaysian authorities have detained at Thailand’s request.
Dirty lying satanic Muslims are just like their Prophet Mohamed. This dirty bastard told everyone he was a messenger from his god Allah but he couldnt do miracles except rob caravans with his group of thieves. Dirty bastard! :oIo:
Every where they go they bring their satanic teachings with them and complain about everything except their dirty satanic teachings that made them into hateful satanic barbarians.
Sahi Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 448
So Allah's Apostle went to them (i.e. Banu Quraiza) (i.e. besieged them). They then surrendered to the Prophet's judgment (unconditionally after 25 days of fierce resistance) but he directed them to Sad (ally) to give his verdict concerning them. Sad said, "I give my judgment that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed."
The Prophet said, "You have judged according to the King's (Allah's) judgment." (Hadith No. 447, Vol. 5)
The sentence was Death by decapitation for around 300—600 men and pubescent boys, and enslavement for the women and children. Ibn Ishaq says that the number may have been as high as 800—900 (p. 464).
The text of Sirat [Ibn Ishaq, page 464]:
Then they surrendered, and the apostle confined them in Medina in the quarter of d. al-Harith, a woman of B. al-Najjar. Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches. Among them was the enemy of Allah Huyayy b. Akhtab and Ka`b b. Asad their chief. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900. As they were being taken out in batches to the apostle they asked Ka`b what he thought would be done with them. He replied, 'Will you never understand? Don't you see that the summoner never stops and those who are taken away do not return? By Allah it is death!' This went on until the apostle made an end of them.
Huyayy was brought out wearing a flowered robe in which he had made holes about the size of the finger-tips in every part so that it should not be taken from him as spoil, with his hands bound to his neck by a rope. When he saw the apostle he said, 'By God, I do not blame myself for opposing you, but he who forsakes God will be forsaken.' Then he went to the men and said, 'God's command is right. A book and a decree, and massacre have been written against the Sons of Israel.' Then he sat down and his head was struck off.
http://www.islam-watch.org/Larry/Muhammad-Massacres-and-Sex-slaves.htm
Every where they go they bring their satanic teachings with them and complain about everything except their dirty satanic teachings that made them into hateful satanic barbarians.
Sahi Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 448
So Allah's Apostle went to them (i.e. Banu Quraiza) (i.e. besieged them). They then surrendered to the Prophet's judgment (unconditionally after 25 days of fierce resistance) but he directed them to Sad (ally) to give his verdict concerning them. Sad said, "I give my judgment that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed."
The Prophet said, "You have judged according to the King's (Allah's) judgment." (Hadith No. 447, Vol. 5)
The sentence was Death by decapitation for around 300—600 men and pubescent boys, and enslavement for the women and children. Ibn Ishaq says that the number may have been as high as 800—900 (p. 464).
The text of Sirat [Ibn Ishaq, page 464]:
Then they surrendered, and the apostle confined them in Medina in the quarter of d. al-Harith, a woman of B. al-Najjar. Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches. Among them was the enemy of Allah Huyayy b. Akhtab and Ka`b b. Asad their chief. There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900. As they were being taken out in batches to the apostle they asked Ka`b what he thought would be done with them. He replied, 'Will you never understand? Don't you see that the summoner never stops and those who are taken away do not return? By Allah it is death!' This went on until the apostle made an end of them.
Huyayy was brought out wearing a flowered robe in which he had made holes about the size of the finger-tips in every part so that it should not be taken from him as spoil, with his hands bound to his neck by a rope. When he saw the apostle he said, 'By God, I do not blame myself for opposing you, but he who forsakes God will be forsaken.' Then he went to the men and said, 'God's command is right. A book and a decree, and massacre have been written against the Sons of Israel.' Then he sat down and his head was struck off.
http://www.islam-watch.org/Larry/Muhammad-Massacres-and-Sex-slaves.htm
BANGKOK BLAST
Arrest warrant issued for Pakistani
THE NATION September 18, 2015 1:00 am
ABDUL TAWAB
MIN BURI Court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for Pakistani Abdul Tawab on charges of possessing explosives and weapons without a permit. The items in question might have some connection with the Erawan Shrine and Sathorn Pier bombings last month, police said.
A police source said the man might be the head of a human trafficking syndicate that helped two bomb suspects - a man wearing a blue shirt seen in a video passing the crime scene and another man who fled to Malaysia.
Police used clues obtained from searches of an apartment in Nong Chok district on August 29 to convince the court to approve the warrant.
Reports have suggested that Tawab had twice transferred funds to a bank account belonging to a Turkish man who is the husband of Wanna Suanson, a Thai woman also wanted by police but whose whereabouts are unknown.
Last month, two explosions rocked the capital. The one on August 17 at the popular Erawan Shrine killed 20 people and wounded more than 100. At least five Chinese tourists were killed and many others hospitalised. The other blast on the following day under Sathorn Pier caused no casualties.
Authorities are desperately struggling to bring the perpetrators to justice but so far have only two men known as Adem Karadag and Mieraili Yusufu.
Police have failed to narrow down their nationalities, roles in the bomb plot and motives, but give a lot of confusing information to the public every day.
A lawyer said a man earlier identified as Adem Karadag based on his fake passport is in fact named Bilal Muhammed. He was captured at an apartment in Bangkok where some bomb-making materials were also seized on August 26.
His nationality is also unclear. Thai police needed assistance from the Turkish embassy to check more than 250 passports that police had retrieved from the apartment where Muhammed was nabbed. Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri, a police spokesman, said the embassy officials could not verify the passports but police cannot have them sent to Turkey for examination as requested by the embassy, as they are pieces of evidence. "We might copy the barcodes and pass them to Turkey for verification," he said.
Police would also ask Turkey to trace one of the prime suspects, Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, or Izan, who reportedly flew from Bangladesh to Turkey, Prawut said. However, no contact between Thailand and Turkey on this point has not been officially made , although Thai police have said this to the public for days.
Deputy National Police chief General Jakthip Chaijinda blamed the media for the failure, saying their in-depth stories alerted all the suspects.
"If the media hadn't reported on the suspects' movements, we would have got them last week," he said.
Jakthip obtained no significant information during his visit to Malaysia on Wednesday after a report that Kuala Lumpur had arrested three suspects for illegal entry.
This dude looks like a younger version of Hishammuddin Hussein, the Malaysian Defence Minister.
This investigation is turning into a f**king shambles! The Thai police are truly pissing in the wind.
Police keen to talk to cabbie about bomb suspects
THE SUNDAY NATION September 20, 2015 1:00 am
POLICE investing last month's Bangkok bomb blasts want to interrogate a taxi driver who regularly drove some of the main suspects.
Royal Thai Police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri yesterday said that the cab driver was found to have offered his service to some of the foreigners suspected of involvement in the bombs at the Erawan Shrine and Sathorn pier.
"We got new information that this taxi driver drove for the suspects regularly, particularly the man in the blue shirt who was involved with the explosion at Sathorn pier," Prawut said.
The spokesman said that police had allowed three people questioned as witnesses in this case to go home after being interrogated, adding that they had provided "useful information" to investigators.
Prawut said that the witnesses who had earlier been in military detention knew the suspects but they appeared to have no involvement with the attacks.
He added however that they would be charged later if they were found to had a role in the blasts.
The three witnesses were identified as Pakistani man Jawed Igbal, Panisara Chaleeratrom, the wife of a wanted Pakistani named Abdul Tawab, and taxi driver Chob Sakulthong.
Prawut said that based on the latest information obtained from the three witnesses, police had been able to make a sketch of the man in blue shirt, who was caught on a security camera dropping an explosive device into the water at Sathorn Pier.
He said that police would disclose the information later.
Thai police chief unable to confirm reports of Bangkok bomber’s arrest in Malaysia
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 22 September, 2015, 10:13pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 22 September, 2015, 10:13pm
Kyodo in Bangkok
A man wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a backpack is seen walking near the Erawan shrine, where a bomb blast killed 22 people in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters
Thailand’s national police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang on Tuesday said he could not confirm reports claiming that Malaysian authorities had arrested a key suspect in the deadly bomb attack in Bangkok.
Reports have claimed Malaysia has detained a man, believed to be the bomber, who was captured on CCTV in a yellow T-shirt near the site of the explosion at the city’s Erawan shrine on August 17. However, Somyot said he had not been informed of such a development.
“When news occurs, we have to examine it by all means in a bid to clarify it. However, at this stage, we cannot confirm this report,” he said.
Among the 20 dead were at least six Chinese nationals, including four from the mainland and two young women from Hong Kong.
Thailand’s national police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said he had not been informed of any fresh developments in Malaysia. Photo: AP
According to local media, the man was apprehended in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night and confessed to Malaysian police that he was the person who planted the explosive device at the shrine.
A Thai newspaper on Thursday published a picture of a man claimed to be the same suspect.
Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri responded to the news, saying he had seen the picture but could not confirm whether it was the man and that the Thai police had not been contacted by Malaysian authorities regarding the matter.
Somyot had previously severely criticised immigration officials over allegedly corrupt practices which have allowed illegal migrants to travel in and out the kingdom. A new Immigration Bureau chief was appointed on Monday.
At least one prime suspect, a Chinese Uygur man Meiraili Yusufu, was found to have entered Thailand from Cambodia via the eastern border province of Sa Kaeo.
ERAWAN ATTACK
Bomb probe team in KL to see suspect
THE NATION September 23, 2015 1:00 am http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/
THE CHIEF investigator looking into the deadly Erawan Shrine blast flew to Malaysia yesterday to seek more information and meet with a detainee believed to be a prime suspect in the attack, an informed source said.
Deputy national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda led the team, which included Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Chaiwatketworachai and the deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj-General Chanthep Sesawet.
They were expected to meet Malaysia's national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar over reports that the key suspect may have been detained during recent raids of many apartments and rented homes in Kuala Lumpur.
The suspect in question reportedly looks similar to the man in a yellow T-shirt who was captured on surveillance video leaving a backpack containing the bomb at the shrine on August 17. The explosion killed 20 people and injured about 120 others.
The source also said the man held in Malaysia had confessed to playing a part in the attack after two days of interrogation. Based on that information, Chakthip decided to travel to Kuala Lumpur to seek more information on the man, he claimed.
According to the source, the suspect now holds a renewed passport from the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and was about to travel to Turkey when he was nabbed. He identified himself as Ari, 31.
The source quoted the suspect as saying that after the blast, he escaped to Kuala Lumpur with the assistance of Thais and foreigners who provided shelters and sought escape routes for him to go to a third country.
It was believed the suspect might give a false name, the source said, and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had been informed of all the information. Meanwhile, a senior security source said police also suspected that the man detained in Kuala Lumpur might be the second key suspect, known as "blue-shirt man". He was seen in security-camera footage kicking a bag suspected of containing a bomb into water near the Chao Phraya River on the evening of August 17 at Sathorn pier, under the Taksin Bridge. The bomb went off the next day but no one was injured.
Thai authorities have focused inquiries on a belief that the Erawan blast was caused by human-trafficking gangs who were badly affected by the government's serious crackdowns on the network. National police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang declined to confirm reports that Chakthip had gone to Kuala Lumpur to meet the suspect.
He said Chakthip as the chief investigator had every right to conduct the investigation. "Pol General Chakthip can proceed with the probe as he sees fit. He can go to Malaysia without having to inform me," Somyot said.
Police and security officials have been working hard to bring the bombers and accomplices to justice, Somyot said. If Kuala Lumpur has detained the real bomber, Thai authorities will work to get him according to international laws and cooperation, he said.
Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Lt-General Sriwara Rangsiprammanakul disclosed yesterday that many more arrest warrants would be issued, over the 13 already issued, as police were proceeding to interrogate many witnesses for more information. He said three witnesses sent by the military had been interrogated.
Bomb probe team in KL to see suspect
THE NATION September 23, 2015 1:00 am http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/
THE CHIEF investigator looking into the deadly Erawan Shrine blast flew to Malaysia yesterday to seek more information and meet with a detainee believed to be a prime suspect in the attack, an informed source said.
Deputy national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda led the team, which included Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Chaiwatketworachai and the deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj-General Chanthep Sesawet.
They were expected to meet Malaysia's national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar over reports that the key suspect may have been detained during recent raids of many apartments and rented homes in Kuala Lumpur.
The suspect in question reportedly looks similar to the man in a yellow T-shirt who was captured on surveillance video leaving a backpack containing the bomb at the shrine on August 17. The explosion killed 20 people and injured about 120 others.
The source also said the man held in Malaysia had confessed to playing a part in the attack after two days of interrogation. Based on that information, Chakthip decided to travel to Kuala Lumpur to seek more information on the man, he claimed.
According to the source, the suspect now holds a renewed passport from the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and was about to travel to Turkey when he was nabbed. He identified himself as Ari, 31.
The source quoted the suspect as saying that after the blast, he escaped to Kuala Lumpur with the assistance of Thais and foreigners who provided shelters and sought escape routes for him to go to a third country.
It was believed the suspect might give a false name, the source said, and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had been informed of all the information. Meanwhile, a senior security source said police also suspected that the man detained in Kuala Lumpur might be the second key suspect, known as "blue-shirt man". He was seen in security-camera footage kicking a bag suspected of containing a bomb into water near the Chao Phraya River on the evening of August 17 at Sathorn pier, under the Taksin Bridge. The bomb went off the next day but no one was injured.
Thai authorities have focused inquiries on a belief that the Erawan blast was caused by human-trafficking gangs who were badly affected by the government's serious crackdowns on the network. National police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang declined to confirm reports that Chakthip had gone to Kuala Lumpur to meet the suspect.
He said Chakthip as the chief investigator had every right to conduct the investigation. "Pol General Chakthip can proceed with the probe as he sees fit. He can go to Malaysia without having to inform me," Somyot said.
Police and security officials have been working hard to bring the bombers and accomplices to justice, Somyot said. If Kuala Lumpur has detained the real bomber, Thai authorities will work to get him according to international laws and cooperation, he said.
Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Lt-General Sriwara Rangsiprammanakul disclosed yesterday that many more arrest warrants would be issued, over the 13 already issued, as police were proceeding to interrogate many witnesses for more information. He said three witnesses sent by the military had been interrogated.
Malaysia detains eight suspects, including four Uygurs, over Bangkok bombing
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 3:44pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 10:21pm
Associated Press in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian police Deputy Inspector General Noor Rashid Ibrahim said he did not think the suspects were linked directly to the bombing in Thailand. Photo: AP
Eight people, including four believed to be ethnic Uygurs, have been detained in Malaysia for questioning in connection with last month’s bombing of a shrine in Bangkok that killed 20 people, a senior official said on Wednesday.
National deputy police chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they were detained in the past week in Kuala Lumpur as well as in northeastern Kelantan state.
Four of the eight were Malaysians involved in human trafficking, while another four were believed to be Uygur men who entered the country illegally, he said. While there was no evidence they were directly involved in the bombing they were being investigated to see if they had any role in other activities surrounding the blast.
“Right now, there is no concrete evidence to show that they are directly involved,” Noor Rashid said.
He said Thai police had been notified, and he hoped they could aid in identifying the men. Thailand will need to provide basic proof of their involvement in the bombing if it wanted to extradite the suspects, he said.
Police are still hunting for this man, who is believed to the bomber. Photo: Reuters
Noor Rashid initially said the Uygurs had no documents on them and that their only offence was entering Malaysia illegally from Thailand. However, he later said they had passports but it was unclear if they were genuine. He didn’t give further details.
The August 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine in the Thai capital also injured more than 120. Among the 20 dead were at least six Chinese nationals, including four from the mainland and two young women from Hong Kong.
In Bangkok, Thai Police Chief Somyot Poompanmoung said he had not received any confirmation from the Malaysian police that the suspects were involved in the blast.
Thai authorities have arrested 2 suspects they say were linked to the bombing, but believe the actual bomber and the mastermind of the plot have fled the country.
Thailand has suggested those behind the blast may have been from a gang involved in smuggling Uygurs from the Chinese region of Xinjiang, while others speculate they may be separatists or Islamist extremists angry that Thailand repatriated more than 100 Uygurs to China in July.
Now that the Malay cops have got involved, we'll never see a resolution to this bombing. An utter farce.
Even when this thread reaches 40 pages, we still won't have a clue and be demonstrating the ineptitiude of the Thai Police.
Even when this thread reaches 40 pages, we still won't have a clue and be demonstrating the ineptitiude of the Thai Police.
Back to 1st arrest, or to square 1? :*:
BOMBING AFTERMATH
Police hunt for clues against Karadag
New CCTV footage ties suspect to shrine blast
Authorities are hunting for further evidence to confirm that detained suspect Bilal Turk, also known as Adem Karadag, was the bomber behind the Erawan shrine blast, despite his alleged confession.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said Thursday police reported Mr Karadag was likely the yellow-shirted man seen on video footage planting the deadly bomb at the shrine on Aug 17.
Security sources earlier said Mr Karadag admitted to being the man in the yellow shirt and said he had disguised himself with a wig and glasses.
But Gen Prawit said that even if the suspect confesses, more evidence is needed to corroborate the account.
"He might have confessed because there was evidence tying him to the scene, but we still need to investigate further. His account does not confirm anything," said Gen Prawit, adding that he believes police are on the right track.
According to the deputy prime minister, more evidence should be sought to determine the real motive behind the shrine bombing as well as any other networks involved.
Mr Karadag was the first suspect detained in connection with the shrine bombing and the Sathon pier blast, and was apprehended on Aug 29 at the same apartment in Nong Chok district where bomb-making materials were found.
Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) chief Srivara Rangsipramanakul said Mr Karadag confessed to police that he owned the bomb-making materials after he was detained by army officers.
Even though he has now admitted to being the yellow-shirted suspect, police will not believe it until there is enough evidence to back it up, Pol Lt Gen Srivara said.
Meanwhile, according to a police source, investigators went to question the suspect again at the 11th Army Circle where he is being detained, but Mr Karadag was ill and could not be interviewed. The investigators will return later, said the source.
National police chief Somyot Poompunmuang said investigators have been convinced from the beginning that Mr Karadag was in fact the yellow-shirted bomber. But because the yellow-shirted man seen on CCTV footage had long hair, wore glasses and walked in a certain way, police could not conclude it was Mr Karadag without further evidence, he said.
When questioned, the suspect changed his account day by day, added Pol Gen Somyot. The suspect should be able to accurately describe each time how he moved from one point to another, he said, adding that further questioning is needed.
When asked what evidence police used to persuade Mr Karadag to confess, Pol Gen Somyot said investigators found various pieces of evidence tying the suspect to the scene, countering the suspect's earlier accounts.
"At this point, I think police are heading in the right direction," Pol Gen Somyot said, adding police are determined to arrest all suspects involved in the bombings.
Though Pol Gen Somyot refused to reveal the exact nature of the proof, security sources said that police had recently found new CCTV footage recorded in Lumpini Park not long after the bomb was planted at the shrine.
According to police sources, they initially only had footage of the suspect on the back of a motorcycle heading to the park and entering the park's toilets.
But the new footage shows the suspect near the toilets with a plastic bag in his hand. When officers zoomed in on the still frames, the bag had a yellow shirt inside. Once police knew the suspect had changed his shirt before returning by taxi to his apartment, they used the evidence to convince Mr Karadag to confess it was him, said the sources.
Mr Karadag then agreed to re-enact his alleged crime by wearing a wig and glasses, "and he looks very much like the yellow-shirted suspect", added one of the sources, noting that Mr Karadag has a long scar on his arm, which in is covered by a strap in the video footage.
Speaking on television Thursday, police spokesman Dr Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri refused to confirm Mr Karadag was the bomber, though he said the two men looked alike.
Police will soon bring charges of causing an explosion, leading to deaths and injuries, against Mr Karadag, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, Mr Karadag's lawyer Choochart Khanpai told the Bangkok Post Thursday that reports his client had confessed to being the yellow-shirted suspect were unlikely to be true.
The lawyer added that his client is small with sloping shoulders, and is unlikely to be the yellow-shirted man with broad shoulders seen in the CCTV footage. Mr Choochart also said he has not been able to meet with his client for two days despite his requests both on Tuesday and Thursday morning.
The prison guards said Mr Karadag was ill with a cold and could not eat, he said, adding that he will try to meet with his client on Monday to ask him about the confession. Meanwhile, police are about to seek two more arrest warrants for people who allegedly supplied vehicles to the bombing suspects, another police source said.
BOMBING AFTERMATH
Police hunt for clues against Karadag
New CCTV footage ties suspect to shrine blast
- Bangkok Post Published: 25/09/2015 at 03:47 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Authorities are hunting for further evidence to confirm that detained suspect Bilal Turk, also known as Adem Karadag, was the bomber behind the Erawan shrine blast, despite his alleged confession.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said Thursday police reported Mr Karadag was likely the yellow-shirted man seen on video footage planting the deadly bomb at the shrine on Aug 17.
Security sources earlier said Mr Karadag admitted to being the man in the yellow shirt and said he had disguised himself with a wig and glasses.
But Gen Prawit said that even if the suspect confesses, more evidence is needed to corroborate the account.
"He might have confessed because there was evidence tying him to the scene, but we still need to investigate further. His account does not confirm anything," said Gen Prawit, adding that he believes police are on the right track.
According to the deputy prime minister, more evidence should be sought to determine the real motive behind the shrine bombing as well as any other networks involved.
Mr Karadag was the first suspect detained in connection with the shrine bombing and the Sathon pier blast, and was apprehended on Aug 29 at the same apartment in Nong Chok district where bomb-making materials were found.
Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) chief Srivara Rangsipramanakul said Mr Karadag confessed to police that he owned the bomb-making materials after he was detained by army officers.
Even though he has now admitted to being the yellow-shirted suspect, police will not believe it until there is enough evidence to back it up, Pol Lt Gen Srivara said.
Meanwhile, according to a police source, investigators went to question the suspect again at the 11th Army Circle where he is being detained, but Mr Karadag was ill and could not be interviewed. The investigators will return later, said the source.
National police chief Somyot Poompunmuang said investigators have been convinced from the beginning that Mr Karadag was in fact the yellow-shirted bomber. But because the yellow-shirted man seen on CCTV footage had long hair, wore glasses and walked in a certain way, police could not conclude it was Mr Karadag without further evidence, he said.
When questioned, the suspect changed his account day by day, added Pol Gen Somyot. The suspect should be able to accurately describe each time how he moved from one point to another, he said, adding that further questioning is needed.
When asked what evidence police used to persuade Mr Karadag to confess, Pol Gen Somyot said investigators found various pieces of evidence tying the suspect to the scene, countering the suspect's earlier accounts.
"At this point, I think police are heading in the right direction," Pol Gen Somyot said, adding police are determined to arrest all suspects involved in the bombings.
Though Pol Gen Somyot refused to reveal the exact nature of the proof, security sources said that police had recently found new CCTV footage recorded in Lumpini Park not long after the bomb was planted at the shrine.
According to police sources, they initially only had footage of the suspect on the back of a motorcycle heading to the park and entering the park's toilets.
But the new footage shows the suspect near the toilets with a plastic bag in his hand. When officers zoomed in on the still frames, the bag had a yellow shirt inside. Once police knew the suspect had changed his shirt before returning by taxi to his apartment, they used the evidence to convince Mr Karadag to confess it was him, said the sources.
Mr Karadag then agreed to re-enact his alleged crime by wearing a wig and glasses, "and he looks very much like the yellow-shirted suspect", added one of the sources, noting that Mr Karadag has a long scar on his arm, which in is covered by a strap in the video footage.
Speaking on television Thursday, police spokesman Dr Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri refused to confirm Mr Karadag was the bomber, though he said the two men looked alike.
Police will soon bring charges of causing an explosion, leading to deaths and injuries, against Mr Karadag, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, Mr Karadag's lawyer Choochart Khanpai told the Bangkok Post Thursday that reports his client had confessed to being the yellow-shirted suspect were unlikely to be true.
The lawyer added that his client is small with sloping shoulders, and is unlikely to be the yellow-shirted man with broad shoulders seen in the CCTV footage. Mr Choochart also said he has not been able to meet with his client for two days despite his requests both on Tuesday and Thursday morning.
The prison guards said Mr Karadag was ill with a cold and could not eat, he said, adding that he will try to meet with his client on Monday to ask him about the confession. Meanwhile, police are about to seek two more arrest warrants for people who allegedly supplied vehicles to the bombing suspects, another police source said.
Confession now by 1st suspect? 
ERAWAN BOMB BLAST
[h=1]Suspect 'confesses' he planted shrine bomb[/h]
THE NATION September 25, 2015 1:00 am
[h=2]Police looking for clinching evidence to prove Adem Karadag was the bomber in yellow t-shirt[/h]ADEM KARADAG, the foreigner arrested late last month in connection with the Erawan Shrine bombing, has confessed that he was the man who planted the explosive device that killed 20 people and injured 100 others on August 17.
Karadag, or Bilal Muhammed, has confessed that he was the man who planted the bomb at the shrine, according to a source familiar with the ongoing police investigation.
He told police that after placing his backpack containing the explosive device at the shrine, he hired a motorcycle taxi to Lumpini Park. He then removed his wig, glasses and armbands before changing into new clothes, according to the source.
Police investigators have studied security-camera recordings that show a man who looked like the bomber entering a toilet in Lumpini Park, which is just a few minutes' ride from Erawan Shrine.
The video showed the man caught on CCTV in a yellow T-shirt before and after he entered the toilet.
Police took Karadag to different locations associated with the bomb attack to confirm his confession, according to the source.
Investigators found that Karadag looked like the man in the video who went to Lumpini Park to change his clothes, the source said.
The man has become more cooperative with the investigators and has given them more information that was helpful to the probe, the source said.
Meanwhile, Karadag's lawyer, Chuchart Kanpai, yesterday said his client has insisted that he is not the bomber. He challenged the police claim that Karadag has confessed that he had planted the bomb.
National police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang yesterday declined to confirm that Karadag was the bomber. But he said he believed the police had evidence to prove so.
"For me, Thai police are the best in the world. I believe police have evidence, but I can't disclose anything further about this," he said.
The police chief said that judging from the amount of bomb-making materials found in possession of the suspects in this case, it appeared they were making more than 10 explosive devices. It was fortunate for Thailand that those people were arrested before the bombs were planted, he added.
"If all those 10 explosive devices had been planted, they would have caused massive damage to Thailand. Thanks to all the sacred beings, the country was spared from disaster," Somyot said.
However, he also said that despite Karadag's confession, investigators would still need confirmation with more clinching evidence.
"The investigators are confident that Adem was the bomber but they still cannot be conclusive from the CCTV images," Somyot said.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday that DNA tests would be required to confirm that Karadag was the bomber.
He said that the authorities were not attempting to close the case and that it should be dealt with in accordance with evidence.
He said the confession could not prove that the man was the real bomber.
Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Sriwara Rangsiphra-manakul yesterday said the investigation into the case was 90 per cent complete.
Commenting on Karadag's reported confession, he said that the investigators would need more evidence to strengthen their case against the suspect, as confession was insufficient to prove in court.
ERAWAN BOMB BLAST
[h=1]Suspect 'confesses' he planted shrine bomb[/h]
THE NATION September 25, 2015 1:00 am
[h=2]Police looking for clinching evidence to prove Adem Karadag was the bomber in yellow t-shirt[/h]ADEM KARADAG, the foreigner arrested late last month in connection with the Erawan Shrine bombing, has confessed that he was the man who planted the explosive device that killed 20 people and injured 100 others on August 17.
Karadag, or Bilal Muhammed, has confessed that he was the man who planted the bomb at the shrine, according to a source familiar with the ongoing police investigation.
He told police that after placing his backpack containing the explosive device at the shrine, he hired a motorcycle taxi to Lumpini Park. He then removed his wig, glasses and armbands before changing into new clothes, according to the source.
Police investigators have studied security-camera recordings that show a man who looked like the bomber entering a toilet in Lumpini Park, which is just a few minutes' ride from Erawan Shrine.
The video showed the man caught on CCTV in a yellow T-shirt before and after he entered the toilet.
Police took Karadag to different locations associated with the bomb attack to confirm his confession, according to the source.
Investigators found that Karadag looked like the man in the video who went to Lumpini Park to change his clothes, the source said.
The man has become more cooperative with the investigators and has given them more information that was helpful to the probe, the source said.
Meanwhile, Karadag's lawyer, Chuchart Kanpai, yesterday said his client has insisted that he is not the bomber. He challenged the police claim that Karadag has confessed that he had planted the bomb.
National police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang yesterday declined to confirm that Karadag was the bomber. But he said he believed the police had evidence to prove so.
"For me, Thai police are the best in the world. I believe police have evidence, but I can't disclose anything further about this," he said.
The police chief said that judging from the amount of bomb-making materials found in possession of the suspects in this case, it appeared they were making more than 10 explosive devices. It was fortunate for Thailand that those people were arrested before the bombs were planted, he added.
"If all those 10 explosive devices had been planted, they would have caused massive damage to Thailand. Thanks to all the sacred beings, the country was spared from disaster," Somyot said.
However, he also said that despite Karadag's confession, investigators would still need confirmation with more clinching evidence.
"The investigators are confident that Adem was the bomber but they still cannot be conclusive from the CCTV images," Somyot said.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday that DNA tests would be required to confirm that Karadag was the bomber.
He said that the authorities were not attempting to close the case and that it should be dealt with in accordance with evidence.
He said the confession could not prove that the man was the real bomber.
Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Sriwara Rangsiphra-manakul yesterday said the investigation into the case was 90 per cent complete.
Commenting on Karadag's reported confession, he said that the investigators would need more evidence to strengthen their case against the suspect, as confession was insufficient to prove in court.
Thai police say detained man is Bangkok 'bomber' seen on CCTV putting rucksack at shrine before blast
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 26 September, 2015, 11:35am
UPDATED : Saturday, 26 September, 2015, 11:38am
Agence France-Presse in Bangkok
In this photo taken on September 5, a suspect identified by the ruling junta as Adem Karadag is escorted by Thai commando units upon his arrival at a court in Bangkok. Photo: AFP
Thai police on Saturday said a foreigner held in custody over last month’s deadly Bangkok attack was the same yellow-shirted man seen on CCTV placing a rucksack at the shrine moments before the blast.
Authorities have earlier said it was unlikely that either of the two men detained over the August 17 blast, which left 20 dead, were the bomber in what has been an often confusing and contradictory police investigation.
On Saturday national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said the probe now revealed the first arrested suspect, a man police identified as Adem Karadag whose nationality remains unconfirmed, was the bomber.
“It is confirmed that Adem is the man in the yellow shirt based on CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and his own confession,” Prawut said.
“After he placed the bomb at the shrine he called a motorbike taxi and changed his shirt at a restroom in (nearby) Lumpini Park.”
A foreign suspect in the August 17 Bangkok bombing, who was apprehended on September 1, has admitted to having handed a bomb to a yellow-shirted man suspected to be the bomber. Photo: Xinhua
Karadag’s lawyer - who says his client’s real name is Bilal Mohammed - could not immediately be reached for comment but earlier this week had cast doubt on rumours of his confession to the crime and has said his client was not in the country at the time of the attack.
The suspect now faces up to eight charges including premeditated murder, Prawut said.
Karadag was due to undergo a reenactment of his alleged role in the crime - a standard Thai police procedure - at the shrine.
The unprecedented attack in the heart of Bangkok’s bustling downtown district last month stunned the nation and dealt a fresh blow to Thailand’s reputation as a tourist haven.
The majority of the blast’s fatalities were Chinese visitors, who believe prayers at the shrine bring good fortune. More than 100 other people were left injured.
The motive for the bombing remains unclear but this month Thailand’s police chief linked the attack to China’s Uighur minority for the first time, after weeks of speculation over their role.
A woman prays at the Erawan shrine, the site of recent deadly blast that killed 20 people, in central Bangkok. Photo: Reuters
Somyot Poompanmoung blamed the blast on a gang of people-smugglers motivated by revenge for a crackdown on their lucrative trade including the transfer of Uygurs.
That motive has been widely dismissed by security experts who instead have pointed to Thailand’s forced deportation of 109 Uygurs to China in July, a move that ignited anger in Turkey where nationalist hardliners see the minority as part of a global Turkic-speaking family.
Mostly Muslim Uygurs have long accused Beijing of religious and cultural repression in China’s far western Xinjiang region, with hundreds of refugees believed to have fled in recent years, often heading to Turkey via Southeast Asia.
Thai police arrested Karadag in a flat on the outskirts of Bangkok late last month saying he was in possession of bomb-making equipment and dozens of fake Turkish passports.
The other man is custody has been identified as Yusufu Mieraili, who was seized with a Chinese passport that police believe is real. It notes Xinjiang as his birthplace.
Karadag’s lawyer Chuchart Kanphai has previously said his client was born in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, but moved to Turkey in 2004 where he received Turkish nationality and found work as a truck driver with his brother.
He entered Thailand on August 21, four days after the bomb blast, with the aim of finding work in Malaysia, the lawyer has said.
Arrest warrants sought for 16 from military court
THE NATION September 26, 2015 1:00 am
CHANGE IN CASE JURISDICTION IN KEEPING WITH NCPO GUIDELINES, SAYS CITY POLICE CHIEF
POLICE INVESTIGATORS yesterday sought permission from a military court to issue arrest warrants for 16 suspects for their alleged involvement in last month's bombing at the Erawan Shrine, the Metropolitan Police commissioner said.
All of them, including Adem Karadag, who is now believed to have been the bomber, have been charged with colluding in committing premeditated murders and attempted murders and colluding in an explosion that caused deaths, Police Lt-General Sriwara Rangsipramanakul said yesterday.
Investigators are convinced that Karadag, or Bilal Muhammed, is the man seen in CCTV images in a yellow T-shirt who left a backpack containing an explosive device at the shrine on August 17. The explosion left 20 people dead and more than 100 others injured; many foreign tourists were among the casualties.
Sriwara said police have evidence to prove that Karadag was the bomber. The suspect had earlier confessed his role.
Sixteen arrest warrants had been issued for suspects in connection with the bomb blasts at the Erawan Shrine and for a blast at Sathorn Pier the following day.
The Metropolitan Police chief said yesterday that the new arrest warrants being sought from the military court would be for both Thai and foreign suspects, adding that some have already had arrest warrants issued for them by a civilian court. But he declined to identify all of them, claiming he could not remember all the names.
"In seeking the arrest warrants from the military court, the police is acting in line with an order from the National Council for Peace and Order," he said without elaborating.
Under an NCPO order issued after the coup, cases involving explosive materials that are considered military supplies must come under the jurisdiction of the military court, a source familiar with the police investigation said yesterday. That was why the new arrest warrants were being sought from the military court.
Royal Thai Police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said yesterday that two of the new arrest warrants being sought from the military court were for two foreigners not on the wanted list earlier. Eight other suspects were those already wanted through arrest warrants issued by civilian courts.
Police to reveal 'whole picture' soon
Prawut said investigators had long suspected that Karadag, who was arrested at his apartment room in a Bangkok suburb late last month, was the bomber but they had no clinching evidence to prove it. "Now there is more evidence and there are witnesses who confirm our earlier suspicion," he said, adding the police would soon reveal to the public "the whole picture" of this case.
Meanwhile, national police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang has instructed his adviser on forensic science, Police General Jarumporn Suramanee, to work with the Metropolitan Police for digital 'superimposition' of images to determine whether Karadag is the bomber, whose image was caught on security cameras.
Somyot said an ally country and a company with the necessary equipment had offered to help with the digital superimposition, but he declined to identify them.
The police chief said that personally he was convinced that Karadag was the bomber. He added that the suspect had confessed to his role without being tortured. Karadag's lawyer Choochart Khanphai, yesterday denied media reports that his client had confessed to planting the explosive device.
"My client, a Turkish citizen, maintains that he came into the country on August 21, which is after the bombing," the lawyer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur by phone. The man travelled to Thailand on a fake passport, hoping to continue to Malaysia in search of work, he said.
However, a police source said yesterday that Karadag was caught on security camera inside a Bangkok convenience store in early August.
Thai police lead key suspects to Bangkok bomb site for re-enactment
Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters
First posted: Saturday, September 26, 2015 01:25 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, September 26, 2015 01:38 PM EDT
Police officers escort a key suspect in last month's Bangkok bombing, yellow shirt, identified as Adem Karadag, during a re-enactment for the Aug. 17 bombing at Bangkok's popular Erawan Shrine on Sept. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK - Police in Thailand led two suspects to the scene of last month's Bangkok bomb blast for a re-enactment of their alleged crimes on Saturday, a day after police said one of the men was responsible for planting the bomb that killed 20 people.
Fourteen foreigners were among those killed in the attack, the worst incident of its kind in Thai history. It dealt a fresh blow to Thailand's important tourism industry, which had just begun to recover after political protests last year.
Police escorted the two men to the shrine and a nearby shopping mall in the Thai capital.
The men, handcuffed and wearing body armour, walked through the re-enactment, a standard Thai police procedure, while bystanders were kept at a distance.
National police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said on Friday one of the two men was the same yellow-shirted man seen in security footage placing a backpack at the shrine moments before the blast.
Prawut told reporters at the shrine on Saturday that the first arrested suspect, who has been referred to both as Bilal Mohammed and Adem Karadag, the name on a Turkish passport he holds, was responsible for the bombing.
"We have now identified him as the one who killed 20 people and injured many others," said Prawut.
Karadag, whose nationality remains unconfirmed, wore a yellow shirt on top of his prison uniform and sat on a bench at the shrine during the re-enactment - the same place the man seen in security footage left the backpack containing the bomb.
The second man arrested, Yusufu Mieraili, used a mobile phone to trigger the bomb, Prawut said without giving further details.
Mieraili, dressed in a dark blue shirt, went through his re-enactment near a shopping mall a stone's throw from the shrine, from where police say he detonated the bomb.
Authorities had earlier said it was unlikely that either of the two men detained over the Aug. 17 blast were the bomber in what has been an often contradictory police investigation.
Police had also said they believed Mieraili conspired in the attack but did not detonate the bomb.
Karadag's lawyer, who says his client's real name is Bilal Mohammed, said Karadag maintains he is innocent and had last visited him on Sept. 15.
"The appearance of the yellow shirt man [in CCTV footage] and Adem do not match. I do not believe Adem would confess," lawyer Chuchart Kanphai said.
The motive for the attack remains unclear.
ERAWAN ATTACK
Bomb suspect set to lose passport
THE NATION September 28, 2015 1:00 am
Move follows Wanna Suansan breaking promise to surrender to police
POLICE have asked the Foreign Ministry to revoke the passport of a female suspect wanted in connection with the deadly bomb attack at the Erawan Shrine in August.
Police spokesman General Prawut Thavornsiri said the whereabouts of Wanna Suansan was not known.
Wanna had broken her promise |to surrender, Prawut said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Wanna, a native of Phang Nga, as she had rented flat rooms in Bangkok's Min Buri district to bomb suspects. Explosives and bomb-making |materials were found in those flats.
Her Turkish husband, Emrah Davuloglu, is also wanted under an arrest warrant.
Wanna, believed to be in Turkey when the warrant was issued, denied any involvement in the blast and told the media in telephone interviews that she would surrender and come back to Thailand to fight for her innocence.
Meanwhile, Chuchart Kanpai, the lawyer of alleged Erawan Shrine bomber Adem Karadag, remained adamant that his client was not the bomber and he did not believe Karadag had confessed as police claim.
He will meet Karadag, whose nationality is still unclear, at a special prison today along with representatives of the Turkish embassy in Bangkok.
Police led Karadag - now known as the yellow-shirt man - on a re-enactment of the crime on Saturday to try to substantiate his alleged confession.
"I am sure that Karadag is not the
bomber as he has different body type from the yellow-shirt guy seen on the surveillance camera. The yellow-shirt guy is tall and has broad shoulders but my client has a smaller build," Chuchart said.
He revealed that he tried to visit his client in prison several times but was denied, having been told Karadag was being treated for flu and high blood pressure.
The lawyer admitted that he was worried Karadag would be tried in a military court as it would rule out an appeal option.
A police investigator meanwhile revealed that one of the bomb suspects, Yongyut Pobkaew, had a record related to his alleged involvement in many bomb-related cases and had an arrest warrant issued against him for alleged explosives possession.
Yongyut met Wanna many times at a house and had conversations with Mieraili Yusufu, a prime suspect in the case, on numerous occasions.
Mieraili was arrested at the Thai-Cambodian border province of Sa Kaew on September 2.
The shrine blast killed 20 |people and wounded more than 100.
In a related development, Vice Admiral Krisda Charoenpanich, deputy judge advocate general, said a bomb-squad team found nothing suspicious about reports that a suspect-looking man with a backpack and wearing sunglasses entered the Bangkok Military Court compound on Friday. The man went onto the roof of the building and left.
Krisda said the initial investigation revealed that the man may be a tourist or was looking for a toilet. It is common for people to enter the court's compound to use its toilets, he said.
Meanwhile, police spokesman Prawut said the alleged blast |"mastermind", Abudustar Abdulrahman or Isan, was now in Turkey after fleeing Thailand one day before the blast.
He said police were checking reports that he was on the move again, in a bid to locate Isan.
In a related development, Lt-General Srivara Rangsibrah-|manankul, the metropolitan police commissioner, has issued an order to transfer three police colonels at Lumpini Police Station to inactive posts at police headquarters.
The order cited that the transfers were needed to prevent damage to the authorities.
But a source said it was because the officers had failed to spot the suspected yellow-shirt bomber in CCTV footage at Lumpini Park after the bomb went off.
It was discovered recently that the suspect change into a grey shirt at a toilet at the park.
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