Thai authorities have released an image of a man believed to be the suspect in the Bangkok bombing on the evening of August 17. The man was carrying a backpack before the explosion and is believed to have placed the bomb at the Erawan Shrine.

Thai authorities confirmed that they have information about the suspect (Photo: AP)

Speaking to reporters before a cabinet meeting on the morning of August 18, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said the bombing in Bangkok on the evening of August 17 was the worst violence ever to occur in Thailand, and pledged to quickly find the perpetrator.

“This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand. There have been small bombs or just noise bombs, but this time they really targeted innocent people. They want to destroy the economy and the tourism industry of Thailand,” the prime minister said.

A man has been identified as a possible suspect in the bombing (Photo: Bangkok Post)

According to Mr. Prayut, a suspect in the attack has been identified.

"There is a suspect... We are looking for this man," Mr Prayut said, adding that the man had been identified through surveillance cameras.

According to the Bangkok Post, the suspect - wearing a yellow shirt - was seen carrying a dark backpack and not wearing a backpack at two different times.

Mr Prayut said the suspect appeared to be a member of “an anti-government group in the northeastern region of Thailand” – the power centre of the Red Shirt movement, which opposes the military government.

The Red Shirt movement is a network of poor people in rural and urban areas of Thailand who support former Prime Minister Yingluck and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to AFP, Mr. Prayuth's comments showed that the investigation would focus on groups loyal to the Shinawatra family, instead of radical Muslim rebels in southern Thailand.

“We haven’t concluded who did it, but it’s clear that these are bad people. Whatever their intentions were, they took innocent lives. I’ve seen the footage from the scene, there are some suspects but it’s not clear yet. We need to find them first.”

The Thai military had previously ruled out the possibility that Muslim rebels in the south were behind the attack, based on the type of explosives used and the nature of the bombing.

Meanwhile, Thailand's Nation newspaper quoted a police source as saying that a man with an Arab appearance is the suspect being sought.

A security camera captured the man sitting on a stone bench inside the temple area, after placing a bag behind the bench.

After a while, this person stood up, pressed the phone and quickly left.

According to AP, Nation / Dan Tri