Two men suspected of dropping a suspicious object outside the Royal Thai Police head office on Rama I Road in Bangkok on Thursday evening were apprehended on an interprovincial bus at a checkpoint in Chumphon early on Friday. They denied any involvement.
Police arrested the two men at Pathomporn checkpoint on Phetchakasem Road in tambon Wang Pai, Muang district of the southern province around 2am. They were on board a southern-bound interprovincial bus.
Bangkok police on Thursday temporarily closed the inbound section of Rama I Road outside the RTP headquarters after a security camera captured a man dropping a suspicious object at the fence.
Bomb disposal officers called to the area examined the object, which contained two cylinder-shaped boxes stuffed with electrical circuit boards. There was no explosive. The boxes were destroyed and the roadblock lifted an hour later.
Police examined CCTV footage and decided two men were involved. The first man was tasked with watching the area nearby while the other man was seen placing the suspicious object at the fence.
The pair were seen meeting at a skywalk of the BTS skytrain at Siam station before entering a nearby shopping mall, where they changed clothes.
They later travelled by taxi to Chatuchak park, and from there took another taxi to Morchit 2 bus terminal. They changed clothes again in a toilet at the bus terminal before taking a bus to the South, Thai media reported.
During police interrogation, the two men kept denying any involvement, but police were not convinced. The investigation is continuing.
A series of loud bangs were heard in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok on Friday morning, and two street cleaners were confirmed injured.
One of two men arrested on suspicion leaving a suspicious object outside the Royal Thai Police head office in Bangkok. (Supplied photo)
Another of the two men detained for questioning over a suspicious object left outside the Royal Thai Police head office. (Supplied photo)