Interpol has arrested Thai and foreign suspects for their alleged role in the Bangkok bombings in August that claimed 20 lives and injured many others, deputy police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said on December 3.

While Srivara declined to reveal the names of the suspects, reliable police sources identified the suspects as Phang Nga native Wanna Suansan and her Turkish husband Emra Davuloglu.

Srivara said the suspects were currently in detention in a foreign country, and the Thai side was working on bringing them back to face legal action.

Arrest warrants for Wanna and Davuloglu were issued soon after the fatal Erawan Shrine blast for allegedly renting an apartment to a prime suspect in the case.

Initially, Wanna told the media in a telephone interview reportedly from Turkey that she had nothing to do with the bombings and would return to testify. However, she did not turn up as promised.

Srivara said the Public Prosecutors Office and the Foreign Ministry were coordinating the return of the suspects with Interpol.

Sources said the arrests were made after Wanna, who is holding a Thai passport, was found to have overstayed her visa and Davuloglu’s Turkish passport was found to be fake.

Wanna and another suspect left Thailand on July 1 through Phuket Airport. Further investigation showed that Wanna had gone to Cambodia through the Sa Kaew border checkpoint on May 30 last year, and then to Malaysia through the Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla province on October 23 in the same year.

The arrest warrant accused Wanna of renting a room to the bomb suspects after police found bomb-making materials, including fertilisers, bolts and gunpowder.

She was also charged with having in possession war weapons without permission.

The sources said that checks into Davuloglu’s financial records showed that several transfers had been made to his bank accounts from abroad. The first transfer was 156,106 baht (US$4,359) in February, 157,646 baht in March, 410,000 baht in April and 14,495 baht in August.
Financial records also showed that a group of seven foreigners, including Chinese and Turkish nationals, had transferred more than Bt1 million to foreigners in Thailand, including Davuloglu. Evidence also showed that this money was used to purchase bomb-making materials and general necessities.
The first bomb at the shrine in the heart of the capital killed 20 people, most of them foreigners, while the second one at Sathorn Pier on the following day caused no injuries.
Under detention for their role in the attack so far are Bilal Mohammed and Mieraili Yusufu, who have been identified as Chinese Uighurs. The two have been formally charged by the Bangkok Military Court on 10 charges and are being detained in a special military prison.
Bilal, who was arrested in the room that he allegedly rented from Wanna, confessed to planting the bomb at the shrine.