SONGKHLA: A 28-year-old man has been arrested for falsely claiming there was a bomb planted at Hat Yai airport on Sunday, police said.
Suphap Thanompol was apprehended at his house in Pak Phanang district in adjoining Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
On May 6 he allegedly made a phone call to warn about a bomb attack at the airport.
The call was received at 2.50 pm, sparking alarm and immediate thorough security searches in and around the airport. Nothing suspicious was found.
Realising it was a hoax, airport authorities filed a complaint with police, who traced the call to Mr Suphap's phone and then obtained a Songkhla Provincial Court warrant for his arrest.
Following his arrest, he was taken to the Songkhla provincial police bureau for questioning.
According to police, the suspect said it was a prank call and claimed he was unaware that making a bomb hoax was a criminal offence. He also claimed to have a history of mental illness.
Mr Suphap was initially charged with deliberately making false claims that would cause panic at an airport or on an aircraft. The offence carries a maximum five-year jail term or/and a fine of 200,000 baht.