Terrorists ‘not linked to South’

Terrorists ‘not linked to South’

The Internal Security Operations Command insists the two suspected foreign terrorists arrested in Bangkok had no links with separatists in the deep South of Thailand and other terrorist groups in the Southeast Asian region.

Col Banpot Poonpian said yesterday he had earlier been informed by investigators that the two men suspected of having links to militant Islamic group, Hezbollah, were arrested at hotels in Sukhumvit Soi 4, known as Soi Na Na, during the Songkran holidays.

"But Hezbollah has no any involvement with separatists' movement in the deep South of Thailand, the Southeast Asia-based terror group Jemaah Islamiya and the al-Qaeda group," he said, responding to reporters' questions about Hezbollah's movement into violence-related attacks in the deep South of Thailand.

Col Banpot said Thai people did not need to panic about the news as only Israel and the United States have upgraded Hezbollah to be an international terrorist group.

The two men have been identified as French-Lebanese national Daoud Farhat and Lebanese-Filipino national Youssef Ayad.

Mr Farhat held a French passport and travelled from France while Mr Ayad who left the Philippines carried a Philippines passport.

According to their passports, both were born in Lebanon, though authorities have yet to confirm if the travel documents are genuine.

Col Banpot said authorities have yet to check whether the two men had any connection with Hezbollah as alleged by Israel.

Israel had informed the Thai police that the two men who were alleged to be Hezbollah members entered into Thailand to carry out a bomb attack against Israeli tourists and other Israel groups during Passover, the Jewish festival which coincided with Songkran. Israel asked Thai police to arrest them.

However, Mr Ayad, one of the two suspects, had given useful information to the Thai police. He admitted to a planned attack on Israeli tourists and other Israeli groups in Khao San Road during the Songkran holidays, according to an investigator.

The investigator  yesterday said that police would take at least one week to finish their investigations into the two suspects. If they are found not guilty of any crime in Thailand, they will be deported back to France and the Philippines immediately.

"Investigations are still under way," the source said.

"So far we have not yet found any criminal involvement of the two suspects in Thailand. Even though we found nails and bolts allegedly used in making bombs from their homes in Bangkok, we did not find a potentially explosive substance."

And as of the press time yesterday, there were no any updated reports about the search of more bomb-making material kept at the stash in Rayong province after police took Mr Ayad there.

National police chief Adul Sangsingkaew said yesterday he ordered his investigators to try to track down more members of the group in Thailand.

According to the investigations, at least nine suspected foreign terrorists connected to Hezbollah are staying somewhere in Thailand. The two suspects had talked to them.

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