Cops swoop on Bangkok 'bomb plotter'

Cops swoop on Bangkok 'bomb plotter'

Police arrested Muhamad Sagariya Damung when he arrived at Hat Yai aboard the Bangkok-Narathiwat train. The 21-year-old suspected bomb maker had a lawyer during initial interrogation on Monday. (Post Today photo)
Police arrested Muhamad Sagariya Damung when he arrived at Hat Yai aboard the Bangkok-Narathiwat train. The 21-year-old suspected bomb maker had a lawyer during initial interrogation on Monday. (Post Today photo)

Songkhla: The Crime Suppression Division has arrested a suspected bomb maker, who is thought to have conspired with four others to conduct an aborted bombing campaign in Bangkok in 2016.

Muhamad Sagariya Damung was nabbed on the Bangkok-Narathiwat train as it arrived at Hat Yai railway junction Monday morning. The 21-year-old was taken for interrogation led by deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul.

A lawyer from the Lawyers Council of Thailand was present during the questioning.

The man was wanted under an arrest warrant issued in 2016 after he and four accomplices were accused of plotting a car bomb campaign in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces.

According to investigators, the attacks were planned between Oct 25 and 30 that year. However, the plot was discovered by security officials who later raided their apartments in Ramkhamhaeng 53 Road in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district and Samut Prakan's Bang Sao Thong district.

Mr Sagariya was charged with possessing explosive materials and illegal assembly, police said.

During Monday's interrogation, he denied all charges though he did admit to having visited places linked to the charges.

However, police were not convinced. Pol Gen Srivara insisted investigators had enough evidence to implicate Mr Sagariya to the bomb plot but denied to comment further.

He is also suspected of involvement in many bombings in the insurgency-torn province of Narathiwat.

Mr Sagariya was the fourth suspected plotter arrested after police earlier detained three others, identified as Tanmisi Totayong, Abdulbasil Suekaji and Mubari Kana. Police are still hunting for the last suspect.

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