A man with a fake Turkish passport and bomb-making materials has been arrested in connection with the deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine.
Thai authorities say that the suspect is “mostly likely” related to the bombing at the Erawan Shrine on August 17, which killed 20 people and injured more than 120.
The man was arrested this morning in Nong Jok on the outskirts of eastern Bangkok.
Deputy police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said: “He is most likely related to the bombing.
He added: “We found bomb materials in his apartment,”.
National police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said that authorities had not yet determined his nationality, dismissing reports by local news organisations that he is Turkish. Images of the passport were posted on social media.
“The passport you see is fake,” said Mr Thawornsiri. “We don’t know if he is Turkish or not.” He said authorities planned a televised statement later today.
The blast at the Erawan Shrine was unprecedented in the Thai capital, where smaller bombs have been employed in domestic political violence over the past decade but not in an effort to cause large-scale casualties.
The shrine is a popular tourist destination, particularly with Chinese visitors, who represent an important segment of the lucrative tourist market.
At least six of the dead were from China and Hong Kong. It is located in an area full of upscale shopping malls and five-star hotels.
Soon after the bombing, police released an artist’s sketch of a man seen in a security camera video leaving a backpack at a bench, then walking away from the open-air shrine.
A separate camera showed the man, wearing a yellow T-shirt, on the back of a motorcycle taxi leaving the site.