Two other possible suspects in Bangkok bombing
August 19, 2015
The two men - one in a red shirt and the other in white - were seen at Bangkok's Erawan shrine shortly before Monday evening's deadly explosion, which killed 20 people.
Security video footage showed the pair standing in front of the main suspect, who officials described as a "foreigner," wearing a yellow T-shirt and shorts.
The two men were seen leaving the area shortly before the suspected bomber walked away, after taking off a black backpack and leaving it on a bench.
The pair have been urged to contact police if they are innocent, to be ruled out of the investigation.
Several countries in mourning
Most of the 20 lives claimed in Monday's explosion were tourists from other Asian countries including China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.
Another 120 people were wounded - nearly 70 of them remained in hospital on Wednesday and a dozen were said to be in a critical condition.
The explosion rocked a busy Hindu shrine in a central shopping district, just a few meters from the overhead Skytrain transit system.
The most solid lead so far is the grainy video footage of the main suspect, who police said may have been wearing a disguise.
On Wednesday, investigators released a sketch based on the video and a description provided by a motorcycle taxi driver, who is believed to have given him a ride from the scene of Monday's bombing.
The sketch shows a young man in black-rimmed glasses, with bushy, dark hair that is cropped at the sides.
Bomber was a 'foreigner'
National police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri told a news conference that the prime suspect had been overheard speaking a foreign language other than English.
He looked like he may have been from the Middle East or South or Central Asia, added Prawut.
Investigators believe the bomber didn't operate alone but was part of a "network."
They're offering a one million baht ($28,100) reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Immediately after the attack, Thai leaders warned that the bombers had intended to destroy the economy.
The Erawan shrine reopened on Wednesday. Dozens of people knelt at the site of the blast next to Buddhist monks, who chanted prayers.
The explosion is unprecedented in Thailand. Despite a near decade-long political struggle, violence has been mostly limited to fighting on the streets.
A separate Islamist insurgency is raging in the south of the country but related violence has rarely spread beyond the three most southerly provinces.
mm/kms (AFP, AP, dpa)