Thai police issued an arrest warrant and released a sketch Wednesday of the chief suspect in the deadly bombing of a Bangkok shrine, saying they believed the culprit was acting as part of a wider network. Authorities are also looking for two other individuals, who were seen in CCTV footage at the scene and considered to be suspects.
“He didn't do it alone for sure,” national chief of police Somyot Poompanmoung told the press, referring to the man in a yellow T-shirt in a grainy video thought responsible for the blast on Monday in the Thai capital that killed 20 people — nearly half of them tourists.
Police Lt. Gen. Prawut Thawornsiri on Wednesday released a still from CCTV video showing two other suspects, one wearing a red shirt and the other white, reported The Nation, an English-language Thai newspaper.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
The new sketch was accompanied with a 1 million baht ($28,000) reward for information leading to his arrest. But apart from the rough image of the man they are looking for, Thai authorities appear to have few leads in the case — they are yet to establish a motive, and are unsure who the man is or whether he is still in the country.
Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri, however, said security footage appears to show two possible accomplices, who are also considered suspects.
The developments come as the temple that was targeted in the attack reopened. On Wednesday, Buddhist monks led prayers at the Erawan shrine — a popular destination for Hindu and Buddhist worshipers, as well as tourists. The attack left at least 11 foreigners dead, with Chinese, Hong Kong, Singaporean, Indonesian and a family from Malaysia among the victims.
The Thai government said the attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.
New Way Travel, a Bangkok-based agency that caters to Hong Kong tourists, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that all tour groups scheduled to arrive from Hong Kong in coming days had canceled their trips. Soon Un Tour, a Bangkok-based agency that deals with clients from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, said it had received no cancellations.
On Tuesday, a small explosive was thrown from a bridge towards a river pier, sending a plume of water into the air, jangling nerves throughout the city but no one was hurt.
A spokesman for the government, Werachon Sukhontapatipak, said there were “patterns” between the two bombs in that both used TNT but no link had been established as yet.
The footage of the young man with shaggy dark hair shows him entering the shrine compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag's straps.
He then stands up and walks out apparently holding a mobile phone, leaving the bag by the fence as tourists mill about.
Somyot said the suspect could be Thai or foreign. Thai media reports on Wednesday said he was not Thai.
"We suspect he is the bomber," national police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said, referring to the man in a yellow T-shirt in a grainy video that has gone viral on social media.
"We are also looking for other suspects in connection with the blast. These types of attacks are not usually planned by one person alone," he added.
The government said Monday evening's attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed 22 – nearly half of them tourists – and wounded more than 120.
New Way Travel, a Bangkok-based agency that caters to Hong Kong tourists, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that all tour groups scheduled to arrive from Hong Kong in coming days had canceled their trips. Soon Un Tour, a Bangkok-based agency that deals with clients from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, said it had received no cancellations.
Jangling nerves in the city on Tuesday, a small explosive was thrown from a bridge towards a river pier, sending a plume of water into the air, but no one was hurt.
A spokesman for the government, Werachon Sukhontapatipak, said there were "patterns" between the two bombs in that both used TNT but no link had been established as yet.
The footage of the young man with shaggy dark hair shows him entering the shrine compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag's straps.
He then stands up and walks out apparently holding a mobile phone, leaving the bag by the fence as tourists mill about.
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said the suspect could be Thai or foreign, though domestic media reports on Wednesday said he was not Thai.
Police have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the attack though they say it did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south or 'red shirt' supporters of the previous administration.
"The attack did not bear the hallmarks of either southern Muslim separatists or red-shirt militants," said Angel Rabasa, an expert on armed groups at the RAND Corporation.
"Both groups have carried out terrorist attacks in the past, but not on this scale in terms of loss of life."
Police said they were considering the possibility that ethnic Uighurs were behind the bombing.
Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of the Turkic-speaking and largely Muslim minority have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have traveled through Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha refused to comment on whether the attack had been motivated by international politics.
“"Whether this incident was motivated by domestic politics or an international issue, I don't want to give you an opinion because it could mislead investigators and cause panic," he was reported as saying in Bangkok Post, an English-language Thai newspaper.
The blast comes at a sensitive time for Thailand, which has been riven for a decade by a sometimes-violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
A parliament hand-picked by a junta that seized power in a 2014 coup is due to vote on a draft constitution next month. Critics say the draft is undemocratic and intended to help the army secure power and curb the influence of elected politicians.
Al Jazeera and wire services
"We suspect he is the bomber," national police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said, referring to the man in a yellow T-shirt in a grainy video that has gone viral on social media.
"We are also looking for other suspects in connection with the blast. These types of attacks are not usually planned by one person alone," he added.
The government said Monday evening's attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed 22 – nearly half of them tourists – and wounded more than 120.
New Way Travel, a Bangkok-based agency that caters to Hong Kong tourists, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that all tour groups scheduled to arrive from Hong Kong in coming days had canceled their trips. Soon Un Tour, a Bangkok-based agency that deals with clients from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, said it had received no cancellations.
Jangling nerves in the city on Tuesday, a small explosive was thrown from a bridge towards a river pier, sending a plume of water into the air, but no one was hurt.
A spokesman for the government, Werachon Sukhontapatipak, said there were "patterns" between the two bombs in that both used TNT but no link had been established as yet.
The footage of the young man with shaggy dark hair shows him entering the shrine compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag's straps.
He then stands up and walks out apparently holding a mobile phone, leaving the bag by the fence as tourists mill about.
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said the suspect could be Thai or foreign, though domestic media reports on Wednesday said he was not Thai.
Police have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the attack though they say it did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south or 'red shirt' supporters of the previous administration.
"The attack did not bear the hallmarks of either southern Muslim separatists or red-shirt militants," said Angel Rabasa, an expert on armed groups at the RAND Corporation.
"Both groups have carried out terrorist attacks in the past, but not on this scale in terms of loss of life."
Police said they were considering the possibility that ethnic Uighurs were behind the bombing.
Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of the Turkic-speaking and largely Muslim minority have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have traveled through Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha refused to comment on whether the attack had been motivated by international politics.
“"Whether this incident was motivated by domestic politics or an international issue, I don't want to give you an opinion because it could mislead investigators and cause panic," he was reported as saying in Bangkok Post, an English-language Thai newspaper.
The blast comes at a sensitive time for Thailand, which has been riven for a decade by a sometimes-violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
A parliament hand-picked by a junta that seized power in a 2014 coup is due to vote on a draft constitution next month. Critics say the draft is undemocratic and intended to help the army secure power and curb the influence of elected politicians.
Al Jazeera and wire services
"We suspect he is the bomber," national police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said, referring to the man in a yellow T-shirt in a grainy video that has gone viral on social media.
"We are also looking for other suspects in connection with the blast. These types of attacks are not usually planned by one person alone," he added.
The government said Monday evening's attack at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok was aimed at wrecking the economy, which depends heavily on tourism.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which killed 22 – nearly half of them tourists – and wounded more than 120.
New Way Travel, a Bangkok-based agency that caters to Hong Kong tourists, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that all tour groups scheduled to arrive from Hong Kong in coming days had canceled their trips. Soon Un Tour, a Bangkok-based agency that deals with clients from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, said it had received no cancellations.
Jangling nerves in the city on Tuesday, a small explosive was thrown from a bridge towards a river pier, sending a plume of water into the air, but no one was hurt.
A spokesman for the government, Werachon Sukhontapatipak, said there were "patterns" between the two bombs in that both used TNT but no link had been established as yet.
The footage of the young man with shaggy dark hair shows him entering the shrine compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag's straps.
He then stands up and walks out apparently holding a mobile phone, leaving the bag by the fence as tourists mill about.
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said the suspect could be Thai or foreign, though domestic media reports on Wednesday said he was not Thai.
Police have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the attack though they say it did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south or 'red shirt' supporters of the previous administration.
"The attack did not bear the hallmarks of either southern Muslim separatists or red-shirt militants," said Angel Rabasa, an expert on armed groups at the RAND Corporation.
"Both groups have carried out terrorist attacks in the past, but not on this scale in terms of loss of life."
Police said they were considering the possibility that ethnic Uighurs were behind the bombing.
Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of the Turkic-speaking and largely Muslim minority have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have traveled through Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha refused to comment on whether the attack had been motivated by international politics.
“"Whether this incident was motivated by domestic politics or an international issue, I don't want to give you an opinion because it could mislead investigators and cause panic," he was reported as saying in Bangkok Post, an English-language Thai newspaper.
The blast comes at a sensitive time for Thailand, which has been riven for a decade by a sometimes-violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
A parliament hand-picked by a junta that seized power in a 2014 coup is due to vote on a draft constitution next month. Critics say the draft is undemocratic and intended to help the army secure power and curb the influence of elected politicians.
Al Jazeera and wire services
Police have not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the attack though they say it did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south or “red shirt” supporters of the previous administration.
“The attack did not bear the hallmarks of either southern Muslim separatists or red-shirt militants,” said Angel Rabasa, an expert on armed groups at the RAND Corporation.
“Both groups have carried out terrorist attacks in the past, but not on this scale in terms of loss of life.”
Police have said they were considering the possibility that ethnic Uighurs were behind the bombing.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of the Turkic-speaking and largely Muslim minority have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have traveled through Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month.
But Police Lt. Gen. Prawut described the chief suspect as "Caucasian, Arab or mixed race," amid what the Bangkok Post reported were attempts to "play down" potential Uighur involvement in the blast.
The blast comes at a sensitive time for Thailand, which has been riven for a decade by a sometimes-violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
A parliament hand-picked by a military junta that seized power in a 2014 coup is due to vote on a draft constitution next month. Critics say the draft is undemocratic and intended to help the army secure power and curb the influence of elected politicians.
Al Jazeera and wire services
Analysis: Deadly attack in Bangkok signals a break in the uneasy calm of military junta’s tight grip on Thailand
Police say man in yellow shirt with backpack seen shortly before explosion ‘is the bomber’
Explosion occurred near Erawan Shrine, a Hindu temple in popular tourist area; no group has claimed responsibility
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