Police suspects ‘more than one suspect’ involved with Bangkok blast – says police chief

C__Users_Ka_Mattue_Desktop_Police_suspects_'more_than_one_suspect'_involved_with_Bangkok_blast_-_says_police_chiefAUGUST 19 (Reuters) — Thailand’s national police chief on Wednesday (August 19) said it is likely that there could be more than one suspect involved in the Bangkok shrine blast earlier this week.

Thai authorities said on Wednesday they were looking for accomplices of the chief suspect for the Bangkok shrine bomb blast that killed 22 people, a man who was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) dumping a backpack and walking away.

Thai investigators have not been able to establish the nationality of the man suspected of bombing a Bangkok shrine, or whether he is still in the country, police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on Wednesday.

“There is many possibilities (of the perpetrators) because I believe that it is unlikely that this attack would be carried out by one person. It is likely that many people are involved and has some sort of backing,” he said told reporters in Bangkok.

He said it was not clear yet if a small second explosion in Bangkok, on Tuesday, was linked to the first.

“If anyone at all has the information that could be useful (for investigation) and could lead to the arrest of the culprit, I will reward them 1 million baht ($28,103.18),” Somyot added.

The government said Monday (August 17) evening’s attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed 22 people – nearly half of them foreigners from several Asian countries – and wounded more than 120.