Thai police said on Saturday that two men who were arrested in
connection with August's deadly Bangkok bombing were the ones who
carried out the attack and that authorities have gathered enough
evidence to prosecute them.
Authorities are confident that the two
men in custody, identified as Adem Karadag and Mieraili Yusufu, are the
culprits responsible for the bombing at the Erawan Shrine on 17 August
that killed 20 people and injured more than 120, said National Police
Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang. Police are seeking at least 15 other people
they believe are tied to the case.
Police have said the motive for
the attack was revenge by a people smuggling network against Thai
authorities for breaking up their operation.
Strong case
"Today,
police are confident Adem and Yusufu are the real attackers," Somyot
told reporters. "Adem is
the yellow-shirted man who planted the bomb.
Yusufu is the one who exploded the bomb."
Somyot said the case
against them was supported by CCTV footage, witnesses, DNA matching and
physical evidence. He said the two men also had offered confessions.
Police
on Saturday had the two carry out a reenactment of the bombing at the
crime scene as well as their getaway. Such reenactments are a routine
police procedure in Thailand.
Police spokesperson Prawut
Thavornsiri announced late on Friday that arrest warrants had been
issued for a total of 17 people believed to be linked to the case.
Many unanswered questions
With
the new police findings that the two arrested men were believed to have
actually carried out the bombing, the charges against them - previously
involving the possession of military materials and explosive substances
- were upgraded to murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to use
explosives to kill, Prawut said.
Somyot said the strength of the
evidence had forced the two suspects to confess. He described the police
investigation as complete now that the two alleged bombers had been
identified.
However, many questions remain unanswered about the
case. Police have not detailed what action triggered the alleged violent
revenge, and Somyot suggested Saturday that the people smugglers "might
have hired" another group of people to carry out the attack. The names
and nationalities of some of the others still being sought are still
unknown.
Even the two arrested men's true identities remain
uncertain. Adem Karadag was arrested when police raided an apartment in
Bangkok on Aug. 29, where they also found bomb-making materials and a
large quantity of fake passports, including a bogus Turkish passport
carrying the photo of the suspect and the name Adem Karadag.
His
lawyer claims he is Turkish, but that his real name is Bilal Mohammed
and that he was only seeking a job in the region. Karadag is the man in a
yellow T-shirt who police say video footage showed planting the bomb at
the shrine.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Police ready to prosecute 2 for Bangkok bombing
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