Thai police hunt ten suspects over Bangkok bomb

Erawan shrine: Thai police guard the scene where the bomb exploded
AFP/Getty Images
Hannah Al-Othman20 August 2015

Authorities in Thailand are now hunting 'at least ten' suspects who they believe were responsible for the Bangkok bombing, which killed 22 people including a British student.

BPP law student Vivian Chan, 19, was killed in Monday's blast near the Erawan shrine, a popular tourist attraction in the Thai capital.

Thailand's police chief has said at least ten people are thought to have played apart in the explosion, which has been linked to anti-government protestors.

Thai authorities have said the incident is "unlikely" to be related to any international terrorist groups.

Police chief Somyot Poompanmuang said: "It is a big network. There was preparation using many people.

"This includes those who looked out on the streets, prepared the bomb, and those at the site and... those who knew the escape route.

"There must have been at least ten people involved."

Vigil: People in Bangkok gathered to pray for those who lost their lives
Nicolas Axelrod/Getty Images

Thailand's military government has said the attack was unlikely to be the work of foreign militants and that it was not targeted at China, despite the shrine being popular with Chinese tourists.

Earlier suggestions that the incident could be linked to Islamists from the southern provinces of Thailand have also been deemed unlikely.

Colonel Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for Thailand's National Council for Peace and Order, said: "Security agencies have cooperated with agencies from allied countries and have come to the preliminary conclusion that the incident is unlikely to be linked to international terrorism."

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