FarangFarang Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Court issues warrant for bomb suspect Prosecutors in push to extradite Iranian Prosecutors say they will send a request to the Foreign Ministry to extradite an Iranian bombing suspect from Malaysia within a week. Wanchai Rujanawong, chief of the Office of the Attorney-General's Foreign Affairs Department, said the request to extradite Masoud Sedaghatzadeh was imminent. The Criminal Court has approved the warrant for Mr Sedaghatzadeh's arrest in connection with bomb explosions on Sukhumvit Soi 71 on Feb 14. He was detained by Malaysian authorities a day after fleeing Thailand. Mr Wanchai said the request will be forwarded to the Foreign Ministry for submission to the Malaysian authorities. It is reported that the extradition of the Iranian suspect is likely to be based on a reciprocal agreement with Malaysia. Pol Col Sunthorn Khemaprapa, deputy chief of Metropolitan Police Division 5, said the Criminal Court has approved the warrant for the arrest of a fifth suspect. The warrant issuance is based on the suspect's photo recorded by a surveillance camera near the bomb blasts. A police source said witnesses confirmed the man was frequently seen at the house where the first bomb exploded in Sukhumvit Soi 71 one week before the bomb blasts and that he went out from the house at 7am on Feb 14, about seven hours before the bombs exploded. He was suspected of training other suspects to assemble bombs. However, Pol Col Sunthorn said it could not be confirmed if the suspect in question is Nikkhahfard Javad as was previously reported. He said police investigators will today ask immigration authorities to hand over bomb suspect Mohammad Khazaei, 42. Mr Khazaei was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport on Feb 14 and has remained in the custody of immigration officials. He declined to give more details about the confiscation of a motorcycle near the explosion site. The find has triggered speculation that the motorcycle might have been intended for use in a bomb plot. He said he was at the house but denied any involvement with the bombs. Pol Col Sunthorn said national deputy police chief Pansiri Prapawat will chair a meeting of investigators today. Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut yesterday called on the government to take the possibility of terrorism seriously. "I'd like to see the prime minister and concerned ministers make it a national agenda item," he said. He also urged cabinet members to be careful when making comments on the issue to avoid dragging Thailand into a conflict. He said the bomb blasts should not be trivialised. "Some cabinet members compared the suspect with vocational students engaged in a brawl," he said. "Don't make it sound like a trivial matter." Meanwhile, a Muslim academic yesterday urged the Thai government to tread with care, saying the country could be drawn into an international conflict. Sulaiman Husainee, director of Al Mahdi Institute, said pressure would be mounting after Thailand recognised the right of Palestinians to an independent state. "I'd like to urge security authorities not to dance to the tunes of the United States and Israel," he said. The Feb 14 explosions were linked to recent blasts in India and Georgia with the Israeli government saying its top diplomat was among the targets and blaming Iran for the blasts. The Iranian diplomatic mission in Bangkok, however, denied Iran was involved. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/280627/court-issues-warrant-for-bomb-suspect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Police probe 'Sejeal' bomb link Mysterious stickers may have marked target sites Published: 21/02/2012 at 08:38 AMNewspaper section: News City police are looking into possible links between last week's central Bangkok bomb blasts and the posting of a string of stickers with an enigmatic message, a source said. Fifty-two stickers bearing the word "Sejeal" were found posted along a road in Klong Toey district. They were similar to stickers found at the house where the first of three blasts occurred on Sukhumvit Soi 71 on Feb 14, at another house on Ramkhamhaeng Road rented by suspect Leila Rohani, 31, and under the seat of a seized motorcycle believed to belong to one of the suspects. The posted stickers were put up on either electricity posts or large signboards starting from an area under a footbridge on Duang Phithak Road in Klong Toey, which runs parallel to the expressway heading for southern Phloenchit Road. The stickers' trail ended at the mouth of Soi Ruam Rudi near Phloenchit BTS station. The total coverage of the sticker-posting was about 1.5 kilometres. The source said investigators believed the bombers used the stickers to mark spots where bombing attacks could be carried out. The suspects are all Iranian nationals and they were thought to be targetting Israeli officials. A sticker reading ‘‘Sejeal’’, possibly a reference from the Koran to sejeal stones, was found by police on the motorcycle of a bomb suspect who left the vehicle in Sukhumvit Soi 71, where explosions erupted on Feb 14. Many similar stickers were also found along a road in Klong Toey. KOSOL NAKACHOL Police believed Israeli officials often travelled along Duang Phithak Road, which eventually leads to the Asoke area, where the Israeli embassy is based. The word "sejeal" may refer to a passage in the Koran that tells of a miracle when birds from heaven dropped "sejeal stones" on an army riding elephants from Yemen who were attempting to kill Mohammed, scaring the animals and saving the prophet's life. Furthermore, Palestinian guerrillas have referred to their rockets and mortars used to attack Israel as "sejeal stones". Meanwhile, police are planning to seek a warrant for the arrest of a sixth suspect. Details of the suspect have yet to be revealed as the police are still preparing a formal request to the court that it issue the warrant, deputy national police chief Pansiri Prapawat said yesterday. City police chief Winai Thongsong said the only information known about the latest suspect was that he had already left Thailand for Iran. On Sunday, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Norouzi Shayan Ali Akbar, 57, an Iranian who was believed to have been involved in the explosions. The man faces charges of jointly producing and assembling bombs, unauthorised possession of bombs, and causing explosions which physically injured others, said Pol Gen Pansiri. Pol Lt Gen Winai said investigations suggested Mr Akbar was only a caretaker of the house on Sukhumvit Soi 71 which was rented by a group of suspects. Police inquiries have not found any evidence that he had been involved in assembling the bombs. Pol Gen Pansiri said Mr Akbar, who was caught on security camera footage in the morning prior to the Feb 14 explosions, entered Thailand on Feb 2 at 9pm. He arrived from Teheran on Mohan Air flight W50053 and returned to the Iranian capital on Feb 14 at 8.50am on flight W50050 of the same airline, Pol Gen Pansiri said. Police were preparing to seek cooperation from the Iranian embassy in Bangkok to hunt for Mr Akbar, he said. Another suspect, Mohammad Khazaei, 42, who was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport after the blasts on Feb 14, denies any wrongdoing, but Pol Gen Pansiri said police had obtained sufficient evidence to link him to the explosions. Monday afternoon, Mr Khazaei was taken to the house on Sukhumvit Soi 71 where the first bomb went off. He was also taken to the Ramkhamhaeng Airport Rail Link station, from where he is believed to have travelled to Suvarnabhumi. Pol Maj Gen Anuchai Lekbamrung, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said five witnesses confirmed they had seen Mr Khazaei at several locations in Pattaya and in Bangkok during his stay in the country. Pol Maj Gen Anuchai said police will take the suspect, who is being detained at the Crime Suppression Division, to the Metropolitan Police Bureau for further interrogation today. Tomorrow police will take Mr Khazaei to the Criminal Court to seek the court's permission to extend his detention. Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, meanwhile, reiterated his view that Thailand was not a terrorism target. Nevertheless, he urged Bangkok residents to take the Feb 14 bombs as a lesson and urged the public to help security authorities more by staying vigilant for any irregularities. Gen Prayuth called on operators of hotels, rental houses and apartments to strictly follow the law by keeping a record of all their guests and tenants, which would benefit police investigations in case of crimes. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said the authorities planned to conduct a thorough check of every hotel, condominium, apartment and house that has a guest or tenant from the Middle East. He was speaking after meeting with the National Security Council, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Royal Thai Police over the bomb blasts. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/280757/police-probe-sejeal-bomb-link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thai police have named a sixth suspect over an alleged Iranian bomb plot to attack Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. The man was named as Norouzi Shaya Ali Akbar, 57, wanted on suspicion of possessing and making explosives. Three men are in custody in Thailand and Malaysia and two other people, a man and a woman, are also being sought after last week's blasts in Bangkok. Thai police took one suspect back to the scene of the first blast on Monday. Wearing handcuffs and a bullet-proof vest, Mohamad Khazaei was brought to a house used by the suspects in central Bangkok. An explosion there last Tuesday sparked a dramatic attempt by the Iranians to flee the country, during which a second suspect was badly injured by his own bomb. A third suspect managed to board a plane to Kuala Lumpur, where he was detained and is facing a Thai extradition request. The other two suspects are Iranian woman Leila Rohani, who is believed to be back in Iran, and a man of unknown nationality, who was named by police on Friday as Nikkhahfard Javad. Thai deputy national police chief Pansiri Prapawat said Norouzi Shaya Ali Akbar had been filmed by a CCTV camera leaving a house rented by the suspects. He is thought to have fled to Iran, the police official was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. Security analysts have linked the Bangkok blasts, in which four other people were injured, to two attacks targeting Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia last Monday. Israel has accused Tehran of being behind all three attacks while Tehran has denied any involvement. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17099998 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Police yesterday apprehended three Iranians, including a married couple, who stayed at a Bangkok condominium rented by two people suspected of involvement in small bomb blasts in the capital two weeks ago.The couple, identified as Rahimi Radiraj and Mahbub Tasbehi, were released after questioning revealed they had no links to the three blasts. Meanwhile, Madani Seyed Mehrded remains in Immigration Police custody after being found to have overstayed his visa. Immigration chief Pol Lt-General Wibool Bangthamai said Khlong Tan police, who handled the case as the explosions had taken place near Sukhumvit Soi 71 - in their jurisdiction - would soon interview Mehrded. He would be sent back to Iran if they found he had no links to the explosions or other crimes, Wibool said. On Sunday evening, police raided Nasa Vegas condominium near Khlong Tan intersection in Hua Mark, in the capital. They found the three Iranians during the search. Police have identified five Iranian nationals as suspects in the February 14 blasts. Saeib Morabi, who lost both legs in small bomb blasts he allegedly carried out, is still in hospital, while Mohammad Hazai, 42, is in police custody. Masoud Seda Ghatzadeh is now held by police in Malaysia, pending likely extradition to Thailand, while suspected bomb-maker Javad Nikkahfard is on the run and Rohanni Laila, suspected as being a gang member responsible for logistics, has reportedly returned to Iran. Thai national police chief Priewpan Damapong said there would be an extension of several days to Ghatzadeh's first 14-day period of detention, which expired yesterday. A court session in Malaysia to hear the Thai authorities' request to send him back to the Kingdom had not begun, and no definite schedule for such a hearing was known yet, he said. Priewpan said he had not discussed the handover of Ghatzadeh with Royal Malaysia Police chief Tan Sri Ismail Omar during a ceremony at Thai police headquarters to present his opposite number with a royal decoration. Meanwhile, a meeting held yesterday at the National Security Council agreed to integrate crime-prevention intelligence by the police and the military's defence intelligence service to provide a better overall intelligence service and anti-terrorism operations. Deputy Prime Minister Cha-lerm Yoobamrung was handed the integral role of overseeing the work of both intelligence branches. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/3-Iranians-questioned-two-released-30176822.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Three more Iranians arrested in Feb 14 bomb probe Three more Iranians were detained by the police yesterday on suspicion of involvement in the bombings on Sukhumvit Soi 71 on Feb 14. The three detainees _ two men and one woman _ were identified as Madani Seyed Mehrded, Rahimi Rad Iraj, a chef at a hotel in Soi Nana, and his wife Mahboobh Tasbehi. They all live in the Naza Vegas building in Watthana district, where fellow Iranian suspect Leila Rohani also lived. Mr Mehrded, 33, was detained yesterday afternoon when police raided a room on the 14th floor of Naza Vegas. The police seized a computer, a mobile phone and some other objects from the rental apartment for inspection. Mr Mehrded did not respond to police officers who spoke to him in English, so he was detained for interrogation at a later time when police can appoint an Iranian interpreter. Police tracked him from information found in the Sim cards of Saeid Moradi, 28, and Mohammad Khazaei, 42, the first two suspects detained in connection with the Feb 14 bombings. Mr Moradi was badly injured in one blast and is being treated at Chulalongkorn Hospital, while Mr Khazaei, 42, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport later the same day as he tried to leave Thailand. The call logs on the Sim cards showed Mr Mehrded had regularly communicated with the two suspects by mobile phone, police said. On Feb 14, he allegedly was waiting for the other suspects in front of the Israeli embassy on Asok Road, police said. The man entered Thailand on July 27 last year and had overstayed his visa by almost five months. His visa expired on Sept 29, 2011. Police investigations also showed he had lived at the apartment since his arrival and rarely went out or met people. He survived on food delivered to his room by an Iranian who worked as a chef at a hotel in Soi Nana, off Sukhumvit Road. Rahimi Rad Iraj, the chef, and Mahboobh Tasbehi, his wife, were apprehended late yesterday afternoon at room No. 21122 on the 11th floor of the same building, police said. In another development, deputy police chief Pansiri Prapawat said police had obtained pictures of a number of people who posted stickers bearing the word "Sejeal" along a road in Klong Toey district. Police believe the stickers are linked to the bomb suspects. Security camera footage showed the sticker-posters at work, Pol Gen Pansiri said. He said he could not go into detail regarding the suspected posters as police were still testing DNA samples collected from some of the Sejeal stickers. The origin of the stickers remains unknown, he said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/281688/three-more-iranians-arrested-in-feb-14-bomb-probe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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