POLICE have arrested two of nine suspects in the car bombing of police flats in southern Narathiwat province on Nov. 22, 2022 that killed one policeman, injured 25 others plus 18 family members of policemen, Matichon newspaper said today (Jan. 2).
National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapas said at a press conference also attended by other senior police officers and Narathiwat Governor Sanan Pongaksorn that CCTV video clips showed the suspects had come from Takbai subdistrict with altogether six vehicles used in the crime.
In-depth investigation had revealed that one of the suspects had driven a black Isuzu pickup truck registered in Trang with licence plate number Kor Khor 6961 to the police flats and after parking it in front of the building walked to a waiting motorcycle and rode off with his accomplice.
This pick-up truck had been resold a few times with the last owner being Ms. Saina who had put it up for sale on her Facebook page. Two men contacted her to buy the vehicle and came on a motorcycle to pick it up on Nov. 5 .
Eyewitnesses identified one of the two buyers as being Mr. Hasbuloh Sani.
The two arrested suspects, Mr. Abdul Mubin Late and Mr. Usman Sani, confessed to committing the crime with altogether nine of them involved.
Narathiwat Provincial Court had issued arrest warrants for all nine of them and aside from the two arrested suspects the others were identified as Mr. Hasbuloh Sani, Mr. Abdulmatin Mama, Mr. Abdulhafiz Düre, Mr. Wafi Spadi, Mr. Eisal Sa, Mr. Saipurusman Mama and Mr. Muhammad Hafiz Jeduramae.
Pol. Gen. Damrongsak also said that the bombing of a freight train in Sadao district of Songkhla province on Dec. 3, 2022 that derailed 10 of 15 cars but did not cause any injuries and the second explosion at the same site on Dec. 6 that killed three railway workers and injured four others was caused by a landmine as indicated by fragments at the scene.
“There have been similar bombings of rail tracks and trains in the past. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr. Azman Poh Loh for similar crimes committed in 2021. Comparison of the evidence shows that this bombing is similar to the ones he set off in the past,” he said.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Thick black smoke billows from the bombed police flats. Photo: INN News
Below: National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapas and other senior police officers and officials at the press conference announcing the arrest of the two suspects. Photo: Matichon
Front Page: Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapas, inset, and the badly damaged police flats. Photo: Matichon
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