SEPTEMBER 14 (Reuters) — Malaysia has arrested three suspects in connection with the investigation into a bomb blast in central Bangkok last month that killed 20 people, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday (September 14).
Two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested and were assisting with the investigation, Khalid told reporters. The Pakistani suspect is male while one of the local suspects is female and the other is male, he added.
“I confirm that we have arrested three individuals, two males and one female, and one of them is from Pakistan. Our arrest was made to assist the Thai police in the Bangkok bombing investigation,” he said.
Khalid also told reporters that there were no plans to move the suspects to Thailand yet.
“Not at the moment, not at the moment. We believe the suspects can help in the investigation of those involved in the Bangkok bombing. At the moment, I don’t want to elaborate further on this case because the operation is still on(going),” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Aug. 17 attack at the Erawan Shrine shrine in Bangkok, which killed 20 people, including 14 foreign tourists, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China.
Khalid also said Malaysian police were unsure if the main suspect was in Malaysia. The Thai investigation unearthed a lead earlier this month that suspected bomber may have crossed Thailand’s southern border into Malaysia.
Thai police have been heavily criticized over the investigation and over statements from top officials about possible perpetrators, motives and information extracted from suspects which have been contradictory, speculative and often cryptic.
