Bangkok bomb: Video shows suspect leaving backpack


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Media captionThe suspect, in yellow, deposits a backpack on a bench before walking off


Video footage has emerged of a man police want to question in connection with a bomb blast in the Thai capital Bangkok on Monday.
The footage, from a CCTV camera, shows a man in a yellow shirt leaving a backpack in the Erawan Hindu shrine.
At least 20 people died in the explosion, including eight foreigners, and scores were injured.
In a separate attack on Tuesday, an explosive device was thrown from a pier in Bangkok but no-one was hurt.
Authorities had already released still images of the man in the yellow shirt, who is wanted for questioning.
In the new footage, the suspect is shown carefully and deliberately removing his backpack inside the shrine, getting up without it and immediately leaving the scene. 
However, officials caution that the perpetrators have not yet been identified.

Media captionMobile phone footage shows the moment of Monday's bombing in Bangkok
The bomb was detonated at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Monday when the shrine, and the nearby Ratchaprasong junction, were crowded.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha called it the "worst-ever attack" on Thailand.
"There have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism."
In Tuesday's separate incident, a device - possibly a grenade - appears to have been thrown at the busy Sathorn pier in Bangkok but landed in water where it exploded harmlessly.

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Bangkok explosion

BangkokBangkokBangkokGaysorn Plazashopping centreErawan ShrineErawan ShrineBomb exploded at intersectionclose to shrineBTS Skytrain railwayRatchaprasong Junction200m500 feetTHAILAND
CCTV footage of a suspect wanted for questioning
Messy theories of who might have carried out the attack
The facts - what we know so far
The Erawan Shrine - popular with locals and tourists

Map: Bangkok blast near Erawan Shrine

Monday's bomb was clearly placed to cause maximum casualties, says the BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok.
Most victims were Thai, but at least eight were foreign - mostly from elsewhere in Asia.
In currency trading, the Thai baht fell to its lowest level in six years over concerns about the impact on tourism.

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Jonathan Head BBC News, Bangkok: "Who is behind this attack?"

Bangkok is now sitting back and wondering who could possibly have carried out this act and what their motives could have been. 
There is no shortage of potential suspects - people might wonder if it was the Muslim insurgency fighting for an independent state in the deep south. Lots of bombs go off there but, the insurgents have never perpetrated an attack outside their own area, so this would be an entire change in tactics.
People also look at the recent political violence and wonder if factions who lost out might have been involved. 
It will be some time before the government gives some idea of what we should be looking for.

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National police chief Somyot Poompummuang described the device as a 3kg pipe bomb - an improvised device where explosive material is put in a sealed cavity to maximise the explosive impact. 
"Whoever planted this bomb is cruel and aimed to kill. Planting a bomb there means they want to see a lot of people dead," he said. 
Marko Cunningham, a New Zealand paramedic working with a Bangkok ambulance service, said the scene was "like a meat market". 
"There were bodies everywhere. Some were shredded. It was horrific," he told the Reuters news agency. 

Media captionDashcam footage captures the moment the bomb exploded near a shrine

Media captionWho could be behind the deadly attack on the Thai capital? Bridget Kendal reports
The shrine is dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma, but is also visited by thousands of Buddhists each day.
It sits between a five-star hotel and a popular shopping centre on the Ratchaprasong intersection, which has been the centre of political demonstrations in recent years.

Thai police officers and emergency staff inspect the scene where Monday's bomb was detonated outside Erawan Shrine, central Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday
Authorities believe the bomb was targeting foreign tourists - but most of the dead and injured are Thai
Workers clean up debris at the site of Monday's explosion on Tuesday
Forensic evidence has been collected and a clean-up operation has been under way
A message of condolence and roses are left for victims of the bomb blast at Rajprasong intersection near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday
Flowers have been left and many bereaved are now facing the grim task of identifying the remains of loved ones

Bangkok has seen a decade of sometimes violent rivalry between political factions.
The military took over the country in May last year, removing an elected government following months of unrest. The capital has been relatively calm since then.

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Bangkok bomb