Explosives of New Year bombings same types and makers

[Braveheart]

Extracted from The Nation: The Nation

 

The explosive used in bombs at all eight sites on New Year's Eve was the same type and all were likely to have been made by the same skilled bombmakers, a senior police said Monday.

 

Commander of the police Office of Forensic Science, Pol Lt General Ek Angsananont, said the objects used as shrapnel, such as nails and bicycle wheel bearings, were of the same size and attached to the explosives by the same technique, he said.

 

The type of the explosive will be posiฌtively known by the next week after confirmation by Australian exploฌsives experts assisting the Office in identification process.

 

Fingerprints were found with explosives material found at two bomb sites at Gaysorn Plaza and the Pratu Nam Pier, but they have not matched any of those belongฌing to criminals in police records. Initial findings show that all eights bombs had no relation or similarities in terms of assembly techฌniques with those used in the deep South by Muslim insurgents, Ek said.

 

Phaya Thai police have interฌviewed 19 witnesses at two bomb sites the Victory Monument and the Pier, including those 13 injured by the blast. They reportes seeing two potential bombers two male teenagers at the former site and one bomber also a male teenager at the latter site.

 

Video footage collected from surveillance cameras installed at both sites did not feature any sigฌnificant evidence relating to bomb attacks. Phaya Thai police chief Pol Colonel Bundit Thisaphark said he assigned both uniformed officers and those in plain cloth at crowdฌed areas around the clock to watch out against more possible bomb attacks.

 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said he had asked police to find out who were behind the bomb attacks as soon as possible. He did not say what he discussed with Council for National Security chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin after the two earlier had a 30minute meeting at the Government House Monday morning.