Bomber's motorbike taxi tells story, tuk-tuk sought

Motorcycle taxi picked up man like bomber at taxi stand short distance from Erawan shrine after bomb exploded. Search on for tuk-tuk who delivered bomber & also two men in front of bomber when he removed backpack with bomb.

Ground zero after bombing with debris strewn about site. Inset: Tuk-tuk that delivered bomber to bombing site & two men suspiciously giving seat to and standing directly in front of bomber as if to shield him. 

BOMBING AFTERMATH

Bombers took motorbike taxi & tuk tuk night of bombing

20/08/2015

MOTORCYCLE TAXI PICKED UP BOMBER

A motorcycle taxi driver said in a phone interview aired by Thai Channel 3 that he had picked up a man matching the police description at a taxi stand a short distance from the shrine after the bomb exploded.

The driver, who gave his name as Kasem, said the man did not speak to him, just walked up and handed him a piece of paper with the words "Lumpini Park" written on it in English.

"He had a conversation on the phone," Kasem said. "I don't know what the language is. I don't know, but it is surely not Thai nor English language."

"I didn't see anyone at where I left him," he continued. "It was dark. There are some trees and it's hard to see."

TUK TUK DROPPED BOMBER OFF

Police are offering 30,000 baht for the tuk-tuk driver who took the suspected Erawan bomber to come forward after learning he took Thailand’s most wanted man to a hotel near the Ratchaprasong intersection Monday evening.

Police said on Thursday that the three-wheeled taxi delivered the suspect to Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel next to the shrine on Ratchadamri Road at 6.37pm on Aug 17.

The tuk-tuk driver was encouraged to contact Pol Col Noppasit Mitrpakdi, investigative chief of the Metropolitan Police Division 6 at 085-358-7777 anytime.

Police promise to keep secret the identity of the driver and guarantee his safety.

The suspected bomber was described as a "Caucasian, Arab or mixed race" man, aged 20 to 30, and about 170cm tall. He wore a yellow t-shirt and black-framed glasses, placed a backpack inside the shrine complex and and left the location just before the explosion.

TWO MORE SOUGHT

Police are looking for two more men they wish to contact in the bombing investigation.

In the grainy CCTV there are two men standing close to the main suspect, the "man in the yellow T-shirt" strongly suspected of planting the bomb.

The low-quality image shows two males, dressed in red (C) and dressed in white (3rd R), standing in front of the wanted man in the yellow shirt, just as he is removing his backpack minutes before the bomb blast.

FOREIGN MAIN SUSPECT

Police also expanded on their description of Thailand's most-wanted man, saying the suspected bomber was "Caucasian, Arab or mixed race", aged 20 to 30 and about 170cm (5-foot-7) tall. 

The police spokesman said even though it is possible that the man was Thai and in disguise, the warrant on charges of premeditated murder was issued for a "foreign man, name unknown, who appears in the sketch drawing."

General Prayut also downplayed the Uighur revenge motive saying, "if they had done it, they would have come out and declared their responsibility by now. But it's been three days and there is no one claiming responsibility. If they come out now, I won't believe it is them."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/663000/b30000-offered-for-erawan-tuk-tuk-driver-to-come-forward

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/662924/two-more-men-sought-in-bomb-probe

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