Wednesday

Thai police release sketch of Bangkok bomb suspect


This image released by the Royal Thai Police on Wednesday, August 19, shows the photofit of a man suspected to be the Bangkok bomber, seen on security footage leaving a backpack at a shrine moments before a bomb detonated, killing 20 people and wounding scores more on August 17. Thai police released the detailed sketch of the suspected Bangkok bomber, who "might be foreign or Thai," according to national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri. AFP/Royal Thai Police









CCTV footage

On Tuesday, a day after the bombing at a religious shrine in Bangkok's busy Ratchaprasong commercial district, police released grainy closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a young man wearing a yellow t-shirt.

The man is shown in CCTV footage dumping a backpack and walking away from the scene of the blast minutes before the explosion.

Police have said the man is a suspect but that others could be behind the attack. They have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, though they said it did not match the tactics of Moro insurgents in the south or 'red shirt' supporters of the previous administration.

The sketch, say police, could help locate the yellow-shirted man seen in the CCTV footage. A 1 million baht ($28,000) reward has been offered to anyone who can give police information leading to his arrest.

Police also said they would take the sketch to a court and ask that an arrest warrant be issued for a man matching the description.

"We think the investigation team will ask for the arrest warrant tonight," said police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri.

Police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang told a news conference that it was not clear how many people were involved in the attack or if they were still in the country.

At the same news conference, spokesman Prawut said "two to three" people had been questioned by police since the attack. — Reuters