BANGKOK – Two twenty-year-old Thai men have been arrested for allegedly throwing a homemade grenade at a group of soldiers during the Loy Krathong festival in Bangkok last night.
The incident took place at 11.30 pm last night at a checkpoint manned by soldiers near Rama I Memorial Bridge in Bangkok’s old quarter, where many people were celebrating the river festival.
No injuries have been reported.
Pol.Lt.Col. Pramote Chanboonkaew, an officer at Bupparam Police Station, said the two suspects confessed to buying the explosives from a firework market near the Golden Mountain temple and then throwing one of them at soldiers when they walked past the checkpoint.
Soldiers in the area gave chase and quickly apprehended the two men, identified as Thanawat, 20, a student at a technical college, and Surasak, 20, who is self-employed, Pol.Lt.Col. Pramote said.
Another suspect who was with the pair managed to escape, he added.
Police reportedly found 17 homemade explosives and one lighter on Thanawat and Surasak. It is not immediately clear why they carried out the attack.
The suspects have been charged with causing nuisance with explosives. Their court appearance is set for 7 November.
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