8 police officers injured in twin bomb attacks in Pattani, Songkhla
Bombs detonated as police car drove past in both incidents, police believe attack is in retaliation for arrest of key rebel leader
Eight police officers were injured in twin bomb attacks in Pattani and neighbouring Songkhla in what is seen as an act of reprisal for the recent arrest of a suspected insurgent leader.
Police said the first attack took place at 10pm on Monday on the Pattani-Hat Yai Road in Pattani’s Nong Chik district.
A homemade bomb had been planted at a bus stop and detonated just as a police patrol car passed by on its way to Nong Chik Police Station.
Six police officers inside the vehicle were slightly injured and rushed to hospital.
Police then cordoned off the road from Don Yang intersection in front of the police station, pending investigation from bomb disposal experts.
It is believed that the attack was meant to avenge the July 18 arrest of Abdulroman Jehlong, a key suspected leader of an insurgency group.
Bomb experts left the site unchecked until late on Tuesday morning for fear another bomb would be detonated in the area.
Another explosion did take place at 9.35am, but it was in the neighbouring province of Songkhla. A homemade bomb placed near a biogas power plant in Ban Bor Nam Som village in Songkhla’s Thepa district was detonated just as a police pick-up truck was being driven past. Of the four passengers inside, two were injured and rushed to hospital.
