Court issues arrest warrant for 5th suspect in BKK explosions

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Court issues arrest warrant for 5th suspect in BKK explosions

BANGKOK, Feb 19 – A court has issued an arrest warrant for a fifth suspect involved in explosions in Bangkok on February 14 while the police are fast tracking investigation of a sixth suspect.

The fifth suspect is a Middle East man who may have been involved in the explosions at Sukhumvit 71 on Tuesday after CCTV footage captured his image walking from the rented house where the first bomb apparently exploded by accident.

According to CCTV records, he had left the house between 7-8 am, and the first explosion occurred at a rented house in Sukhumvit 71’s Soi Pridi Panomyong 31 that afternoon.

He was charged with possessing explosive materials and harming other persons and property.

The fifth suspect is not Nikkhahfard Javad as earlier reported, and Deputy Police Chief Pol Gen Pansiri Prapawat will give further details at a press conference on Monday. The police are gathering evidence on the sixth suspect who accompanied Ms Rohani Leilato to rent the house where the explosion occurred. She is one of four suspects with early arrest warrants.

The investigation team will convene a meeting on Monday to scrutinise evidence gathered at blast sites and follow up on the progress of the case at the metropolitan police headquarters on Monday.

Thailand’s Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants to four Iranians on various charges related to Tuesday’s Bangkok bomb incidents.

Two Iranian suspects were arrested earlier -- Saeid Moradi, 28, who lost both legs from his own explosive device -- and another suspect, Mohammad Hazaei, 42, who was taken into custody at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday while attempting to board a plane bound for Malaysia.

A third Iranian identified as Masoud Sedaghatzadeh was arrested on Wednesday by Malaysian authorities in Kuala Lumpur.

Thai authorities are working to conclude and translate a document to be submitted to Malaysia to seek extradition to Thailand for prosecution.

Regarding a fourth suspect, an Iranian national identified as Rohani Leila, Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Wiboon Bangthamai cited intelligence reports that she returned to the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Ms Rohani was identified as the person who rented the house at Soi Pridi Panomyong 31 in Sukhumvit 71. (MCOT online news)