BANGKOK, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Tuesday urged the public not to panic over three explosions in Bangkok related to three Iranians.
According to the latest report from Nationa News Agency (NNA), one suspect has been arrested at the international Suvarnabhumi Airport.
On Tuesday afternoon, three consecutive explosions occurred in downtown Bangkok's Sukhumvit road. The explosions injured four Thais and one Iranian suspect.
Yingluck said police and intelligence agencies are investigating the case.
"I would like to ask the people not to panic. The authorities have now arrested an attacker," Bangkok Post online quoted Yingluck as saying.
The Thai Foreign Ministry has sought cooperation from Iran Embassy to check backgrounds of the Iranian suspect(s), said Deputy PM's Secretary-General Thitima Chaisaeng said, according to The Nation online.
At about 2 p.m. local time, a first bomb went off in a rented house in Soi Pridiphanomyong 31-33 on Sukhumvit 71 road. Three foreigners were reportedly living in the house, one of them confirmed as a Iranian national. The rest, of unidentified nationality, left the house un-injured, according to Thai media.
After the explosion, the Iranian housed renter called a taxi at Soi Pridi Panomyong 33.
The taxi driver did not pull over to pick him up. The man was angry and threw an explosive device at the vehicle. Taxi driver Sanchai Boonsungnoen and passenger Apichart Khamlue were injured. Two Thai passer-bys also wounded in the explosion, according to Thai News Agency. The Iranian man then walked to Kasem Pitthaya School in Soi Sukhumvit 71 and saw the police, inspecting the taxi hit by the bomb. He then accidentally dropped an explosive device on the ground, causing it to go off, wounding him severely -- cutting off his two legs. Three sedans were damaged because of the explosion.
The explosion damaged public telephone booths and his
bag was scattered. The police car and a pizza shop opposite the school
were damaged.
The explosive device was initially believed to be hand grenades.
Police later searched the rented house and found functional C-4
explosive.
The injured were sent to hospitals. Police is investigating.
Thai authorities have not yet commented whether the explosions were related to terrorism.
On January 13, the embassy of the United States warned their citizens
in Thailand of the possibility of imminent terrorist attacks in busy
tourist areas of Bangkok. The warning prompted other 20 countries to
issued same warning for their citizens.
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