Bangkok temple bombing: Two Indians taken into custody

Two Indians have been taken into custody for questioning after they were seen on CCTV talking to a foreign suspect wanted in Thailand’s deadliest bombing at a temple in Bangkok while a person arrested in the case told police that the mastermind of the attack had fled the country.         

“The two were picked up by police as part of due diligence for questioning as they lived in the room next to one where police had found bomb-making materials,” sources said.

The sources later said the two Indians, who were picked up by Thai police for questioning in connection with the August 17 blast at Bangkok’s Brahma shrine, will be released shortly.

“Their questioning is over and after the statements are recorded they will shortly be released,” the sources said.

The two Indians, whose names were withheld, were taken away for questioning during a raid at the Maimuna Garden Home apartment in Minburi on Sunday night.

A foreigner who lived at the room and a Thai woman who rented the room for him are now wanted under arrest warrants. Thai police is closely combing areas in search of people behind the blast at the popular Erawan Brahma Shrine, which killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others.

A combined force of police and army officers on Sunday raided several apartment buildings and rental houses in the Nimit Mai area of Min Buri district.

Col Wattana Yichin, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police overseeing Minburi police station, said the raid was part of crime suppression measures as many foreigners rent apartments and houses in the area.

So far, arrest warrants have been issued for 12 suspects. Two have been arrested, both foreigners, one carrying a Chinese passport.

Meanwhile, a suspect who was arrested near the Cambodia border identified as Yusufu Meralli told military interrogators he had assembled the bomb for the actual bomber, who is yet to be nabbed.

The first man arrested, Adem Karadak, also known as Bilal Mohammed, has been remanded from military custody to prison.

Meralli, 25, identified the mastermind of the attack only as Izaan. He said Izaan commanded the operation by using WhatsApp chat application.

According to a source, Meralli testified that Izaan left Thailand via Suvarnabhumi International Airport on August 16, a day before the bombing, for China and then headed to Bangladesh. Meralli admitted he assembled the bomb before handing it to a yellow-shirted suspect who was seen on CCTV at the shrine leaving behind a backpack which would have had the explosive device.

Meralli, detained in Sa Kaeo province last Tuesday, has been in military custody in Bangkok since he was picked up from the eastern province.

Bangkok Post quoting police sources said Meralli had told the military that he was asked to assemble the bomb, he did not elaborate on who told him to make the explosive.

Meralli claimed he had never met the yellow-shirted suspect before.

He said Izaan told him to buy bomb-making chemicals via Internet to make bombs. He reported to Izaan after the bombs were made, the paper said.

He was then ordered to carry a backpack with a bomb to leave it under a bench on a bank of Phadung Krungkasem Canal near Hua Lampong Railway station.

Meralli said the man in yellow shirt came to switch his backpack with the one with the bomb. He said he did not meet the man in person.

He said the mastermind also instructed him to take a video clip of the bomb attack but he dared not do it for fear of being arrested.

Meralli was carrying a Chinese passport which mentioned his place of birth as China’s western region of Xinjiang, but it is not known if it was forged. 

Image: The August 17 blast killed 20 people. Photograph: Reuters