THAILAND-BLAST/POLICE NEWSER Thai police look into Turkish connection in Bangkok blast
Record ID:
142250
THAILAND-BLAST/POLICE NEWSER Thai police look into Turkish connection in Bangkok blast
- Title: THAILAND-BLAST/POLICE NEWSER Thai police look into Turkish connection in Bangkok blast
- Date: 27th August 2015
- Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (AUGUST 27, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** INTERIOR OF NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN OFFICIALS SITTING IN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) POLICE SPOKESMAN PRAWUT TAVORNSIRI SAYING: "We have a DNA result from the bank notes and from some parts of the car (taxi) but we don't have any suspect to compare with." PRAWUT TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) POLICE SPOKESMAN PRAWUT TAVORNSIRI SAYING: "We are not targeted any nationality but we focus on the individual suspect. INTERIOR OF NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF CLOSED CIRCUIT CAMERAS AT RATCHAPRASONG INTERSECTION PRAWUT TALKING TO MEDIA BANGKOK, THAILAND (AUGUST 24, 2015) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING INSIDE ERAWAN SHRINE POLICE EXAMINING PLACE WITH DOG PEOPLE WALKING INSIDE SHRINE WOMAN LAYING FLOWER ERAWAN SHRINE OFFICIAL EXAMINING SHRINE WITH DOG BANGKOK, THAILAND (AUGUST 25, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECURITY ANALYST FROM IHS-JANE'S ANTHONY DAVIS SAYING: "I have pointed to the very likely role of a group in Turkey called the Grey Wolves." DAVIS TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECURITY ANALYST FROM IHS-JANE'S ANTHONY DAVIS SAYING: "They certainly have the interest because we saw them on the front line of the attack on the Thai consulate in Istanbul in July. Grey Wolves were there and Grey Wolves were involved in organizing other demonstrations across Turkey in response to the Thai decision to send back the 109 Uighurs back to China." BANGKOK, THAILAND (RECENT - AUGUST 17, 2015) (REUTERS) POLICE STANDING NEXT TO DAMAGED MOTORCYCLES ON GROUND MILITARY STANDING DAMAGED MOTORCYCLES ON GROUND
- Embargoed: 11th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Thailand
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA536LHHUSRQQQ4MQCEJFYJ6R18
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thai police said on Thursday (August 27) they were looking at the arrivals of Turkish nationals in the days before a Bangkok bomb attack while an analyst said it's likely the Grey Wolves, a pan-Turkic, extreme right-wing organization was involved.
Broken security cameras along the chief suspect's getaway route and a lack of sophisticated equipment have hampered the investigation into the Aug. 17 blast that killed 20 people, more than half of them foreigners.
After the blast, the suspect is seen taking a motorcycle taxi from the shrine, and a short time later is believed to switch to a taxi car.
Police investigated the driver and collected evidence from the taxi.
"We have a DNA result from the bank notes and from some parts of the car (taxi) but we don't have any suspect to compare with," said Prawut Thavornsiri, police spokesman.
Police and some security analysts have raised the possibility of a connection to the Uighurs - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority from the far west of China. They complain of persecution by Beijing.
But police did not rule out other possible groups.
"We are not targeted any nationality but we focus on the individual suspect," said Prawut.
China's treatment of the Uighurs is an important issue for many Turks, who see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious background.
Last month more than 100 Uighurs were deported from Thailand to China - a move that prompted widespread condemnation by rights groups and sparked a protest outside Thailand's consulate in Istanbul.
National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters police had checked arrivals of Turkish nationals who entered Thailand around two weeks before the blast.
A security analyst from IHS Jane's Anthony Davis said the mostly likely perpetrators were members of a group called the "Grey Wolves", a pan-Turkic, extreme right-wing organisation.
"I have pointed to the very likely role of a group in Turkey called the Grey Wolves," said Davis.
Davis said their motive may have been revenge for Thailand's deportation of ethnic Uighurs to China.
"They certainly have the interest because we saw them on the front line of the attack on the Thai consulate in Istanbul in July. Grey Wolves were there and Grey Wolves were involved in organizing other demonstrations across Turkey in response to the Thai decision to send back the 109 Uighurs back to China," said Davis. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None