Man suspected of planning Bangkok bombings arrested

Thai police have arrested a man alleged to be a member of a group that was planning to plant three bombs in Bangkok and adjoining provinces.

On Monday, police and the army raided the suspect's house in Samut Prakan, south of the Thai capital, and recovered four boxes of what might be raw material to make bombs, area police chief Thammanoon Trithippayaphong told Efe news.

The arrest comes after the police earlier this month had warned of a possible attack in the capital city between October 25 and 30.

The police have since then beefed up security at popular tourist areas in the city, near embassies and airports.

Last week, 11 people were arrested for purportedly collaborating with the Muslim insurgency active in the southern part of the country to carry out a string of bomb blasts in August in several southern provinces of the country.

Between August 11 and 12, fourteen bombs exploded in six Thai provinces, including at popular tourist spots in Phuket and Hua Hin, killing four and injuring 35, including ten foreign nationals.

The attacks were later claimed by the Barasan Revolusi Nasional, the country's largest armed rebel group.

--IANS

ksk/bg