Thai police say one of the suspects apprehended as part of the investigation into last month’s deadly bomb attack at a popular shrine in Bangkok has confessed to possessing banned explosives.
Last week, Yusufu Meerailee was arrested trying to flee across the Thai border into Cambodia — National Police spokesman Prawut Thavonsiri said he’d also been carrying a piece of paper with a chemical formula used to make explosives written on it.
“We have informed him (Yusufu) of the charge of jointly possessing and owning explosives that are banned by the government. He acknowledged the charge and confessed (to it),” Prawut told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
Police have also issued two additional arrest warrants for suspects wanted in connection with the bombing that killed 20 people and injured many more, bringing the total number of arrest warrants to 11, Prawut added. The additional suspected have been identified as Abdullah Abdullahman, who police released a sketch of, and an unnamed male foreigner — about 175 cm (5 feet, 8 inches) in height. Police showed a photo of him captured by CCTV-surveillence video from a department store.
Shared apartment
Police said Yusufu shared an apartment in the capital with a man named Adem Karadak, who was caught during a police raid on the address on August 29. Yusufu’s fingerprints were found on possible bomb-making equipment found at the apartment, police said.
Both men had been traveling on false documents, according to the authorities.
National Police General Chakthip Chaijinda said at a briefing last Wednesday that Yusufu spoke Turkish and that the interrogation was conducted through a translator.
