Police release sketch of suspect in Bangkok bombing

National police chief General Somyot Poompanmoung said the attack was carried out by a “network”. Police released several photos of the man, with and without the backpack, as well as a detailed sketch, and asked the public to provide information about him.

On Wednesday, people knelt in prayer, lit incense and placed flowers at the site of the bombing.

Two days after the attack, which authorities have called the worst in Thai history, the open-air Erawan Shrine reopened to the public.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, which bears none of the hallmarks of the Muslim separatists who have been fighting a long insurgency in the south of the country. “It is likely that many people are involved and has some sort of backing”, said police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang.

Police say the bomber had to have acted with accomplices, with force spokesman Prawut Tavornsiri suggesting there may be “at least two others” involved in the incident.

Security experts have said they are baffled over who is responsible.

“So we are looking for other suspects”.

Soldiers at the scene after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok.

The CCTV footage shows a young man in a yellow T-shirt and shorts on a bench and taking off a large, black backpack.

In the early evening on Tuesday, a small explosive device appeared to have been thrown towards a pier from the Taksin bridge in the Thai capital, heightening concerns about continuing strikes on the capital.

The suspect in the Bangkok bombing.

The shrine – a popular tourist attraction that typifies the kingdom’s unusual blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions – and its surrounding had already been largely restored.

Update as of 7:21 a.m. EDT: Police in Thailand issued an arrest warrant Wednesday against an unidentified suspect in the Erawan Shrine bombing that killed at least 21 people Monday, according to reports. The government has promised to bring security and stability after months of violent political turmoil.

At the same time, the military government has tightly controlled dissent, arresting hundreds of its opponents and banning protests.

Hong Kong has raised its travel alert to red in the wake of the attack and advised citizens to avoid non-essential trips to Bangkok.

Police said they had called in about three people, mostly foreigners, for interrogation in connection with the attack.

He said others wanted for questioning are also seen in the security footage from the shrine.

Prawut did not elaborate on how police knew the suspect spoke a foreign language.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha warned the suspect on Wednesday to “quickly turn yourself in otherwise you might be killed by security forces”.

Mr Prayuth told reporters the man must have been hired to plant the bomb. “Officials will work out legal solutions to guarantee their safety”, he told the Bangkok Post.