Thailand charged two Iranians Wednesday over an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats, officials said, piling pressure on Tehran amid accusations of a terror campaign against the Jewish state. Tensions between the Middle East arch-foes have risen sharply following three bomb incidents in world capitals in less than 24 hours, but Iran angrily rejected accusations that it was to blame. On Monday bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia before escaping. In Bangkok, two Iranians were detained over three blasts which rattled the city Tuesday. They were charged with causing an illegal explosion and other offences, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said.
“We cannot say yet if it’s a terrorist act,” he told reporters, “but it’s similar to the assassination attempt against a diplomat in India.” One of the men — named as 28-year-old Saeid Morati — had his legs blown off as he hurled an explosive device at Thai police while fleeing an earlier, apparently unintended, blast at a house in the Thai capital, officials said. He was unconscious but in a stable condition, according to the Bangkok hospital where he was treated. A second Iranian suspect was detained trying to board a flight out of the country while a third suspect is believed to have fled to Malaysia, they said.
