Thai authorities have launched a manhunt for a suspect seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage near a famous shrine in the capital where a bomb blast killed 22 people, nearly half of them foreigners.
The man suspected of the bombing at the Erawan shrine was seen in grainy CCTV footage entering the compound with his backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag’s straps.
Clad in a yellow shirt and with shaggy, dark hair, the young man was then seen standing up and walking out holding a blue plastic bag and what appears to be a mobile phone. The backpack was left by the fence as tourists milled about.
“That man was carrying a backpack and walked past the scene at the time of the incident. But we need to look at the before and after CCTV footage to see if there is a link,” National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang told a news conference.
The officer believed the suspect could be either Thai or foreign.
A bomb exploded at a popular shrine in central Bangkok during evening rush hour on Monday, killing at least 18 people, injuring more than 100 and leaving body parts strewn across the streets of a neighborhood full of five-star hotels and upscale shopping malls.
Jangling nerves in the city on Tuesday, a small explosive was thrown from a bridge towards a river pier, sending a plume of water into the air, but no one was injured.
The government said the attack during the evening rush hour in the capital’s bustling commercial hub was aimed at destroying the economy. No one has claimed responsibility.
Authorities earlier said they had not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the bombing at the shrine, although officials said the attack did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south.
