A suspected southern insurgent wanted on two arrest warrants was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security forces in Pattani’s Khok Pho district on Sunday.
Photo by Post Today
The clash took place shortly after noon after a combined military-police force laid siege to a house in Ban Ton Thong in tambon Khok Pho, where a group of militants were reported to have been in hiding, planning terrorist attacks in Khok Pho district.
The authorities reportedly tried to talk the suspect - identified later as Arleeya Paetor, 22, who was hiding in the house - to give himself up, but received no response from him after 30 minutes. They also asked Arleeya’s father to help persuade him to leave the house, but failed.
When the force approached the house to make an arrest, the suspect fired on them. He then threw an M26 hand grenade at the officers while trying to escape through the back door, but it did not explode. The security team shot him, killing him on the spot.
On clearing the scene, they found the man lying dead at the back door holding a 9mm pistol in one hand and two spent bullet casings near his body.
Arleeya was wanted for shooting dead a police officer at Khok Pho police station last year and a couple in Songkhla province and stealing their car earlier this year. Police also implicated him in several cases involving the shooting of Buddhist residents in Pattani province.