Thai police on Wednesday released a sketch of a young bespectacled “foreign man” who carried out the devastating bombing at Lord Brahma temple and is believed to be part of a network while announcing a reward of 1 million baht (Rs 18 lakh) for information leading to his arrest.
The police also issued an arrest warrant against the suspected youth who was captured on CCTV wearing a yellow T-shirt and placing a backpack on a bench inside the Erawan Brahma temple’s compound before walking out just before the explosions on Monday that killed at least 20 people.
The sketch shows a young man in black-rimmed eyeglasses with bushy, dark hair and a light complexion. The warrant issued by Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court describes him as tall, with a pointed nose and thick lips.
He faces six charges including conspiring to commit premeditated murder and conspiring to commit a bombing that resulted in death and severe injuries.
The sketch of the suspect is based on the CCTV footage and a description provided by a motorcycle taxi driver who is believed to have given him a ride on Monday night.
The detailed sketch is the strongest lead yet in the country’s “worst ever attack” in which nine foreigners and 11 others were killed and over 120 others injured, mostly Chinese.
National police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang told a news conference that the suspect looks like a “foreign man” but was not sure about his origins.
The suspect might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose to conceal his identity, Somyot said.
“If citizens or anyone can give us information or clues that lead to the arrest of this man, I have set a reward of 1 million baht,” Somyot said, adding that police believe the bomber worked with accomplices.
“He didn’t do it alone, for sure. It’s a network,” Somyot said.
Police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri said the CCTV video appears to show two possible accomplices standing in front of the man who are also considered suspects.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday urged bombers who attacked Bangkok this week to turn themselves in for their own safety, saying, otherwise, they could be killed.
The bombers could be murdered by the masterminds who hired them to set off explosives at the Erawan shrine and Sathorn pier, Gen Prayut was quoted as saying by Bangkok Post.
An explosive device was hurled at Bangkok’s Sathorn pier on Tuesday but it caused no injuries or damage as it bounced into the water and exploded there.
The premier noted that CCTV cameras at both the Rajprasong intersection -- where the blasts outside the temple occurred -- and Sathorn pier have given authorities clear indications of the suspects’ movements.
The Brahma temple, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangkok, was reopened on Wednesday for worshippers and tourists two days after the blasts.
Hospitals also discharged 55 injured people on Wednesday, said Col Winthai Suvari, the spokesman of the National Centre for Peace and Order.
He said 68 other injured victims are still being treated.
The explosions occurred on Monday evening as worshippers, tourists and people returning from their offices were at the shrine and nearby .
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened in southern provinces especially in Koh Samui in Surat Thani, Hat Yai in Songkhla and Phuket which are key tourist destinations, an army spokesman said.
He said that particular areas were singled out in line with the government’s concerns, to assure Chinese travellers of their safety.
