Thai police release detailed sketch of suspected shrine bomber

“We are also looking for other suspects in connection with the blast“, said national police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri.

Earlier Thursday, the Thai government said the bombing is “unlikely” to have been carried out by worldwide terrorists.

On Wednesday the police issued an arrest warrant for an unidentified man it’s thought may have planted the bomb.

Prayuth also says that the man must have been hired to plant the bomb that killed 20 people on Monday evening at a busy Bangkok intersection.

The attack occurred on Monday as worshippers crowded into the Hindu shrine in the Thai capital, shredding bodies and incinerating motorcycles.

Thailand’s police said on Thursday they were still unsure if the prime suspect in the Bangkok shrine bombing had fled the country, as information from the public flooded in after a sketch of the “foreign” man was released.

The attack left at least 11 foreigners dead, with Chinese, Singaporeans, Indonesians and a family from Malaysia among the victims.

The two men left the shrine and were walking down a street when the device went off. They seemed to be spooked and jumped for cover, indicating they weren’t involved in the attack, the paper said, citing anonymous detectives.

Authorities in Thailand say the two men handed themselves in to police and are now being questioned.

The sketch released yesterday showed a young man in glasses with bushy, dark hair that is cropped at the sides.

Local authorities have appealed for anyone with information surrounding the alleged bomber to come forward, offering a reward of one million Baht (the national currency) – equivalent to roughly AUD$40,000.

Lt Gen Prawut told reporters police would continue to scrutinise closed-circuit TV footage of the area from before the blast for clues about suspects.

Prayuth has called the attack “the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand” and vowed to track down those responsible.

The two men, however, insist they are tour guides, the BBC has reported.

Thailand has deep political rivalries, besides the decades-long Muslim insurgency.

Twisted iron railings were the only immediate sign of the blast point, which police believe was caused by a bomb made up of 3kg of high explosives.

The Bangkok bombing has captivated people across the country, but attacks in southern Thailand have killed more than 6,500 since January 2004, according to Thitinan Pongsudhiral, chairman of the Center for Strategy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. 20 people, including many foreigners, were killed in the blast at Erawan shrine downtown Bangkok.