BANGKOK — Police said they defused an explosive device in Bangkok’s shopping district Wednesday morning which appears linked to the bombing spree that struck the capital last week.
The bomb was a weaponized phone power bank that would have started a fire once exploded, security officers said. The device was found this morning at a market in the Pratunam neighborhood, where similar explosives went off and burned down several shops on Friday, according to police.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also revealed nine people are now under arrest in connection with the bomb attacks, up from two suspects last week. Their names were not released.
Police commissioner Chakthip Chaijinda is set to question the suspects personally over the next several days, his aides told the media.
Families of two men arrested last week, Wildan Maha and Luai Sae-ngae, have said they believe the pair is innocent.
Media reports quoting unnamed police sources have alleged the authorities are currently seeking warrants for four more suspects over the bomb attacks, which injured one person and coincided with an international summit.
Police and the military have declined to say who exactly they believe are responsible for the attacks, though deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Tuesday said “southern groups” were involved, referring to separatists active in the southern border region.
A report on Thairath news site also quoted a police source as saying that timers discovered in the bombing wreckage match those routinely used by the southern separatists.
