An initial inquiry has ruled out a direct ISIS or southern insurgency connection to the five Thai students arrested with a pistol and bullets at Lahore airport, but the possibility of terrorist involvement remains open, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Friday.
Gen Prawit, speaking at the Defence Ministry, said that based on a preliminary examination he did not think the five students had any connection with the southern insurgency or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS).
Officials' initial inquiries found that the families of the five Thai students were poor and had clean records, he said.
Their families sent them to study religion in Pakistan to prevent them from getting involved with drugs. Their education cost each family 3,000 baht a month.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was expanding the investigation, Gen Prawit said.
He admitted that authorities were concerned that Thai students who went to study abroad, like these five, might be subject to extreme idealism.
Doubts still remained whether the five students were involved in terrorism or a possible attempt to hijack a plane. Gen Prawit said they did not satisfactorily explain why they tried to illegally take a 9mm pistol and ammunition on board their Thai Airways flight.
"I do not understand why they would carry the gun on the plane although that was prohibited. I am still unable to find the answer. Interrogation will take time," Gen Prawit said.
Deputy Defence Minister and army chief Udomdej Sitabutr said on Friday that some of the five students came from three southern border provinces, but their family backgrounds showed no involvement with terrorism.
However, the religious school they attended was on the western border of Pakistan, close to a country where terrorism was active and weapons readily available, Gen Udomdej said.
They might have just wanted to smuggle the small 9mm gun, which could not be used to create any great violence, he said.
Authorities would look into their intentions in smuggling the firearm, the army chief said.
The pistol and bullets were found separately in the baggage of the five students during a security X-ray on Monday night at Lahore airport as they were about to board a Thai Airways International flight back to Thailand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that representatives of the Thai embassy in Islamabad had already visited the five students, who were in the custody of Pakistani authorities. They were all safe and in good spirits, the statement said.
The ministry would provide assistance to the students.