Thai police find perpetrator of series of bombings

(Baonghean.vn)- Thai police said today (August 14) that the person behind the series of bombings in the south of the country that killed four people and injured dozens of others was only one person, and that they had arrested one man in connection.

Thai police have not yet revealed the motive behind the recent series of attacks. Photo: AFP

A series of bomb blasts on August 11 and 12 targeted popular tourist areas in Thailand, just days after the people of this country voted in a referendum on a new draft constitution backed by the military, paving the way for elections in late 2017.

“These actions were carried out by a group of people in many areas at the same time, under the direction of one individual,” said Deputy National Police Chief Pongsapat Pongcharoen.

Mr. Pongsapat did not give further details about “who was behind” these attacks.

Meanwhile, Thai police deputy spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang stressed: "The investigation is still ongoing. I reaffirm that this is an act of sabotage at the local level, not terrorism. Terrorism does not exist in Thailand."

Police have arrested two suspects in the popular resort of Hua Hin and issued an arrest warrant for one person in connection with an attack on a supermarket in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

Thai officials have not said what motivated the attacks, but have been quick to discount suspicions that Muslim insurgents in the south were responsible. Authorities also believe the series of attacks are “clearly linked.”

Thanh Huyen

(According to Reuters, ABC News)