[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated 15 January 2012 :-

Police believe terror suspect roaming city -
11 embassies issue travel alert

Police are hunting a terror suspect believed to be at large in Bangkok as the number of foreign embassies issuing travel warnings to Thailand increased to 11 Saturday.

Late on Friday night police released a sketch of a man suspected of entering Thailand to launch terrorist attacks, hours after Atris Hussein, a Swedish-Lebanese man with suspected links to the Hezbollah militant group, was apprehended by Thai police at Suvarnabhumi airport.

The suspect is a white Middle-Eastern man who is about 180cm tall with short hair and stubble. Those who believe they may have spotted the suspect are being urged to report to the nearest police station or call 191, said police spokesman Piya Uthayo.

Pol Maj Gen Piya said the man is still believed to be in Bangkok, but police in nearby provinces and other popular tourists destinations such as Pattaya and some southern provinces have been told to be on the lookout for the suspect.

Pol Maj Gen Piya added that all units in the Metropolitan Police Bureau have been instructed to look for the suspect, and as a result the public might see more police checkpoints and searches.

The police have also beefed up security at certain embassies in Bangkok.

"From intelligence reports, the attackers will use explosives, so the public is urged to be vigilant in risk areas, or in buildings visited by a lot of foreigners, and to particularly look for vehicles that have been left in certain areas for a long time," said Pol Maj Gen Piya.

Mr Hussein's arrest prompted foreign embassies, including those of the US, Canada and Australia, to issue travel alerts for Thailand, saying that foreign terrorists may be in the process of looking to launch attacks in tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future.

The warnings irked Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, who said Saturday that he was "disappointed" that embassies have not consulted the Foreign

Ministry according to diplomatic convention before issuing the warnings".

Mr Surapong insisted that Thai security agencies have known about the terrorist plot for a while and have been tracing a group of suspects. He said tourists and investors can have confidence in Thailand's security measures.

National police chief Priewpan Damapong Saturday said charges have not been pressed against Mr Hussein because there is no evidence that he has committed an offence.

Under Thai law, police can detain suspects for up to 60 days after which point they must be charged or deported.

A police source said Mr Hussein told investigators that even though he was a member of Hezbollah, he was not part of the group's militant arm.

In Beirut, Hezbollah official Ghaleb Abu Zainab told LBC television that Mr Hussein is not a Hezbollah member.

The police chief said he had ordered officers to step up security measures at potential targets including Khao San Road, Soi Rambutri, Sukhumvit Soi 22 and other areas with a high density of Western tourists or residents.

Pol Maj Gen Adit Ngamchitsuksi, chief of the Tourist Police, said his bureau had increased security in such areas and had also fanned out officers to gather information on possible terrorist activities in the capital.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said the public should not panic and let security authorities handle this issue.

"Panic will worsen everything, whether it is the economy, the country or tourism," said Gen Prayuth.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork