Bangkok bomb well planned, involved more than 10 people

The government said Monday evening’s attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.

Officials various times said that they did not rule out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, though they said it did not match the tactics of Muslim fighters in the south or “red shirt” supporters of the previous administration.

“This includes those who looked out on the streets, prepared the bomb, and those at the site and… those who knew the escape route”, he said.

The suspect in the bomb blast that shook Bangkok on Monday is a foreigner, Thailand police have surmised. He said that if the men in red and white shirts were innocent and aware of the suspicions against them, they should report to police.

Two men seen shielding the suspected bomber while he may have planted the device are also being investigated.

“From today (Thursday) we will go and “x-ray” areas in and out of Bangkok”, police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters earlier, without explaining whether that would entail raids.

The Shrine reopened to the public yesterday, with crowds gathering to pay their respects following the attack dubbed the “worst” in Thailand’s history by its Prime Minister.

Thai authorities released a sketch of the suspect and offered a million Baht (roughly £18,000) for any information related to him.

“I believe this network has links with people inside Thailand”, he added.

A Thai taxi driver who believes he picked up the main suspect told CNN the man did not appear to be Thai, and did not speak at all, instead handing the driver a piece of paper with the name of a central city park in English.

Police suspect the young man caught in grainy footage leaving a backpack at the crowded shrine shortly before the explosion is foreign but Kissana said Thai police were not focused on any particular country or region with their appeal to Interpol. In the throng of tourists in the busy Erawan shrine, he seems to slip the bag under a bench before slipping away into the night.

Among the 20 people killed, Thai authorities have identified six victims as Thai and four as Malaysians, along with four Chinese, two people from Hong Kong including a British citizen, one Indonesian and one Singaporean. Two other victims remained unidentified Wednesday, according to the Bangkok Emergency Medical Services.

He said investigators are reviewing surveillance video from Bangkok’s two worldwide airports as well as from the scene of the bombing.