Key Points
- CCTV footage shows images of a man entering a Bangkok temple shortly before the blast, police are now terming him a suspect
- Blast killed 22 people and injured numerous others on August 17
- The suspect is seen removing his rucksack and leaving it as he moved away with a mobile phone and a blue plastic bag
- A different angle of the video shows the man leaving the temple and moving towards the hotel near the premises
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a man who entered a Bangkok temple shortly before a blast that killed 22 people could shed light on who was behind the unprecedented attack.
The video, taken from cameras near the glittering Hindu shrine in the city’s bustling commercial hub on August 17 , shows the young man, who authorities have identified as a suspect, in a bright yellow T-shirt going into the tourist attraction with a backpack and then sitting down.
Moments later, he takes the backpack off and walks out holding only a blue plastic bag and what appears to be a mobile phone. The rucksack is left by a fence as tourists mill around, taking photographs of a statue of the Hindu god Brahma.
A man wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a backpack is seen walking near the Erawan shrine, where a bomb blast killed 22 people on August 17 , in Bangkok, Thailand in this handout still image taken from closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, released by the Thai Police on August 18, 2015 | Source: Reuters
Footage taken from a different angle shows the man, with shaggy, black hair, leaving the temple and heading towards the upscale Grand Hyatt Erawanhotel just yards away. The time stamp on the video at that point is just after 6:40 pm.
The bomb went off during rush hour on August 17, as tourists prayed at the shrine and office workers were commuting home.
The explosion, which was heard just before 7:00 pm, unleashed havoc. Early responders and journalists who arrived at the scene were confronted with scenes of blood-smeared pavements, shattered glass and pieces of human flesh.
No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack. The military government said it had not ruled out any group but has yet to publicly offer any plausible answers.
(With inputs from Reuters)