Thailand: Police close Bangkok bombing investigation

Main suspect of the case Adem Karadak (Photo:AFP/VNA)

 Thai police on October 19 declared an end to the initial investigation into the August 17 Bangkok bombings, adding that police are conducting procedures to officially prosecute the two main suspects.

Speaking after a working session with the case’s investigators, Thai police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda said authorities are confident in the evidence and believe the two suspects will be prosecuted within the next two weeks.

Chaijinda also said police are seeking 15 other wanted men. He added that the investigation will be resumed if new suspects and circumstances reveal themselves.

The bombing at Erawan Shrine on August 17 killed 20 people and injured 124 others. A subsequent blast at the Sathorn pier took place the day after, but did not have any casualties.

In late August, Thai police arrested Adem Karadak at an apartment in Bangkok, where they also found bomb-producing materials. Karadak claimed he is Uighur and confessed to playing a part in the Bangkok bombing.

A week later, Meiraili Yasufu, the second suspect from Chinese Xinjiang region, was arrested near the Thai-Cambodian border.

Yasufu declared that the bombing mastermind had ordered him to take a backpack containing a bomb to the Hua Lampong railway station and hand it to a man.

The two suspects are facing a numbers of charges, including murder and illegal weapons possession.-VNA