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| Thai Police Announce Arrest in Bangkok Shrine Bombing | Thai Police Announce Arrest in Bangkok Shrine Bombing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BANGKOK — The Thai police on Saturday arrested a foreign man who they said was likely to have been involved in the deadly bombing of a Bangkok shrine nearly two weeks ago. | BANGKOK — The Thai police on Saturday arrested a foreign man who they said was likely to have been involved in the deadly bombing of a Bangkok shrine nearly two weeks ago. |
| “We have arrested one perpetrator and seized a lot of evidence including bomb-making materials,” said Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung, the head of Thailand’s national police force. General Somyot told reporters outside the apartment where the man was arrested that it was too early to say with full certainty whether there was a link to the bombing. | “We have arrested one perpetrator and seized a lot of evidence including bomb-making materials,” said Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung, the head of Thailand’s national police force. General Somyot told reporters outside the apartment where the man was arrested that it was too early to say with full certainty whether there was a link to the bombing. |
| But a spokesman for the national police, Prawut Thavornsiri, announced in a nationally televised address that the suspect “is in the same group of the perpetrator.” | But a spokesman for the national police, Prawut Thavornsiri, announced in a nationally televised address that the suspect “is in the same group of the perpetrator.” |
| Any arrest connected to the blast would be the first major breakthrough in an investigation that has been criticized for its missteps and slow pace. | Any arrest connected to the blast would be the first major breakthrough in an investigation that has been criticized for its missteps and slow pace. |
| The Aug. 17 explosion at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok’s central shopping district killed 20 people and was the worst attack of its kind in recent Thai history. More than 100 people were wounded, and a dozen remain in serious condition. | The Aug. 17 explosion at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok’s central shopping district killed 20 people and was the worst attack of its kind in recent Thai history. More than 100 people were wounded, and a dozen remain in serious condition. |
| The arrest on Saturday was made at an apartment in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in the northern suburbs of Bangkok. The police said they found fuses, metal pipes and ball bearings that resembled those used in the blast. The man began renting the apartment on July 31, the police said. | |
| During the televised announcement the police showed images of stacks of what appeared to be Turkish passports. The Thai news media also showed images of a Turkish passport with a picture matching the man who was arrested, but there were indications that it might have been a counterfeit. Thailand is a major production hub of fake passports. | |
| The suspect arrested Saturday was charged with possession of bomb-making materials and put under military custody. Thailand has been under military rule since the military seized power from an elected government in May 2014. | The suspect arrested Saturday was charged with possession of bomb-making materials and put under military custody. Thailand has been under military rule since the military seized power from an elected government in May 2014. |
| Before Saturday, the police had said that they had few leads in the investigation. Security cameras show a man in a yellow shirt placing a bag under a bench at the shrine shortly before the explosion, which occurred during the evening rush hour. The man’s movements across Bangkok were partly reconstructed by the authorities, based on footage from other security cameras and interviews with taxi drivers. | |
| Thai media speculated Saturday that any Turkish connection to the blast would increase the chances that the attack was in retaliation for Thailand’s forced repatriation of around 100 ethnic Uighurs to China in July. The Uighurs are an ethnic minority in western China who speak a language related to Turkish. | Thai media speculated Saturday that any Turkish connection to the blast would increase the chances that the attack was in retaliation for Thailand’s forced repatriation of around 100 ethnic Uighurs to China in July. The Uighurs are an ethnic minority in western China who speak a language related to Turkish. |
| The repatriation was widely criticized at the time by the United Nations and Western governments because of the prospect that the Uighurs would face persecution. Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul was attacked soon after the Uighurs were sent back. | The repatriation was widely criticized at the time by the United Nations and Western governments because of the prospect that the Uighurs would face persecution. Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul was attacked soon after the Uighurs were sent back. |
| But any Uighur connection to the blast remained far from certain on Saturday. The Turkish passport purported to belong to the suspect had a number of crude errors. There was no date of issue; instead “Date of Expiry” was repeated twice. Among several words misspelled was Istanbul, which appeared to use the wrong Turkish letters. | |
| Thai authorities said they were contacting “diplomats” about the arrest on Saturday but did not say from which country. |