Thai blast: Malaysian police may arrested two suspected bombers

Malaysian police have sent to Thai authorities photos of two men, one of whom is suspected to have carried out Thailand’s worst bombing at a Brahma temple here that killed 20 people last month, media report said today.

Besides the prime suspect – a yellow-shirt bomber, the other man could be the blue-shirt man who dropped an explosive into a pier the next day, The Nation paper reported, quoting a Thai security official.

Thai security agencies would see if the pictures of the two men detained by Malaysia’s Special Branch Police in Kuala Lumpur match the characteristics of the yellow- and blue-shirt men captured on surveillance footage, police said.

The photos will be shown to the person nabbed last month near the Cambodian border and if he identifies any of the two men as a bomber, the Thai police will seek that person’s extradition for prosecution in Thailand, they said.

Malaysian police on Saturday raided several apartments and rental rooms believed to be hiding places of the two bombers at the request of Thai police.

A Pakistani and two Malaysians suspected of being part of a human trafficking gang are already being interrogated by Malaysian police in connection with last month’s Erawan Brahma Shrine blast that claimed at least 20 lives.

Malaysian police said the gang gave shelter to the yellow- and blue-shirt bombers at a location two kilometres away from Moo Noh Police Station, the report said.

It went on to add that the duo were allegedly taken by boat across the Kolok River where two Malaysian men were waiting on the other side to receive them.

Assistant National Police chief Lt General Prawut Thawornsiri refused to name the blue-shirt bomber, saying more investigation was needed.

He said police would summon the taxi driver, who picked up the blue-shirt bomber, for questioning.