An explosive precursor was discovered in a bag left behind by a Swedish man at Udon Thani airport, leading to his arrest after his flight landed at Suvarnabhumi airport outside of Bangkok.
Police at the Muang district station in Udon Thani received a report from Thipawan Wangsanuwat, director of the Udon Thani Airport, at 8pm on Thursday, said Pol Col Phattanawong Chanphon, the station superintendent.
Ms Thipawan told police that a 58-year-old Swedish male passenger had travelled from Udon Thani to Suvarnabhumi airport on an AirAsia flight. However, he left a bag behind at the departure gate.
Airport staff discovered suspicious items in the bag and sought assistance from police and the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team of the Royal Thai Air Force.
After authorities succeeded in contacting the passenger, he was uncooperative, leading to his detention at Suvarnabhumi airport for further questioning.
Authorities deployed advanced swab detection technology to assess the contents of the bag. The test revealed the presence of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a chemical precursor used in explosives. A K9 unit was deployed to conduct further checks.
The EOD team used a blast-mitigation container to handle the bag. The checks determined the bag contained no dangerous materials.
The Swedish man, identified as Marco Erik Pikkarainen, 58, reportedly said the bag belonged to him but had been packed by a friend. The contents included clothes and dried Thai herbs.
“The (detection of an) explosive precursor could be a result of his clothes being exposed to explosive materials or fireworks,” said Ms Thipawan.