Police have DNA, other results
POLICE have obtained DNA test results from banknotes the Erawan Shrine bomb suspect gave to a tuk-tuk driver, as well as DNA test results from a taxi he travelled in. Meanwhile, the court has approved an arrest warrant for the person who allegedly lobbed
We can’t disclose details [of the test results] yet as it may affect ongoing investigations,” assistant national police chief Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said yesterday.
On August 17, the suspect hailed the taxi on Rama IV Road and travelled to Hua Lamphong train station late in the afternoon. He later got into a tuk-tuk in front of the train station, got off at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, and walked into the Erawan Shrine with a backpack.
He then left the backpack there and walked away – minutes before an explosion rocked the shrine, causing 20 deaths and injuring more than 100 others. Police located drivers of the tuk-tuk and the taxi. Latent fingerprints were found in the taxi.
National police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang said the investigation was progressing, as police were working very hard.
Police are also looking into an explosion near Sathorn Pier on August 18 that caused no casualties.
Prawut said examination of phone-signal-usage records at the two blast sites did not provide links to suspects. “We believe the suspects may have used an Internet connection for communications,” he said.
In a related development, PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said he had received four more reports on the Grey Wolves, a right-wing organisation based in Turkey, which a security analsyt named as the most likely perpetrator.
Suwaphan said the reports differed from what Jane’s analyst Tony Davis told a forum at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Monday night.
Davis said the Grey Wolves might have done the attack as revenge for Thailand’s deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China in July, as the Grey Wolves have taken up the Uighur cause.
“We are listening. We are looking at all clues. But we have also received some other pieces of information,” Suwaphan said without elaborating.
Meanwhile, The bomb attack at Erawan Shrine on August 17 killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others. On the following day, Turkey’s Foreign Minister sent a message of condolences to his counterpart in Thailand on the day after the bomb. In the message, the Turkish Foreign Minister offered heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and conveyed Turkey’s strong condemnation of this act of terror and its resolute stance in the fight against terrorism.“Turkey stands strongly against all kinds of terrorist acts, regardless of its source, origin and motive. Turkey continues to fight against terrorism,” the message said. As for speculation linking Turkish citizens to the attack, Turkey conveyed its stand against terrorism to the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara and expressed its readiness to cooperate if they have any concrete information. The embassy has contacted Thailand’s Foreign Ministry on the subject.
“In the light of all these, we follow with deep regret the speculative analyses and news reports trying to link Turkish citizens to the Erawan Shrine bomb attack and reiterate our solidarity with Thailand and our readiness to cooperate with Thai authorities,” the statement read.
