Residents of Nong Chok district in the eastern outskirts of Bangkok say they hardly noticed the presence of a group of Turkic-looking foreigners in the area, and did not suspect they were linked to the Erawan shrine blast until one was arrested on Saturday.
A man, believed to be a key suspect in the shrine bombing, was apprehended in the Pool Anant apartment complex on Saturday afternoon.
Large quantities of bomb-making materials and equipment were found in his room.
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A convenience shop clerk working near the apartment building where the man was arrested said there are few foreigners in the area, and most are long-time customers at the store.
However, it wasn't until around one month ago that she started to see a group of four or five men in the area, who she said looked similar to the bomb suspect in the photographs released by police.
She couldn't tell if the group of foreigners were friends, but assumed they knew each other as they seemed to be of the same ethnicity.
The clerk said the group would drop into the shop several times a week to buy water and snacks.
They usually came late at night, she said, adding she recognised the man who is now in police custody as one of her customers.
According to a nearby fruit vendor, the group mostly kept to themselves when they ate at food stalls and did not speak Thai.
Most of the time, they would buy large quantities of food and carry their supplies back to the apartment building, although they sometimes ate outside, he said.
The fruit seller added that he usually saw two individuals -- one he identified as the man arrested by police, and another who he says was shorter, with a heavier build and darker skin tone -- passing by to order food.
They couldn't speak Thai and would use sign language or short English sentences to communicate with the stall owners, he said.
The vendor explained that he usually liked to talk to his customers, especially foreigners to ask where they were from, but this group did not want to interact with him and preferred to keep quiet.
"They clearly looked as though they did not want to have a conversation," he said, adding they seemed agitated when he started chatting with them.
The vendor added that he saw them regularly until last Thursday.
"That's the last time they came, I'm sure," he said.
He added that other locals did not pay special attention to these foreigners because none of them matched the sketch of the yellow-shirt clad Erawan bomber released by the police.
However, the fruit seller's wife said the man in police custody was only a suspect for now and it was too soon to conclude that he was the bomber.
Most locals agreed the Pool Anant apartment complex where the suspect was arrested is generally a calm area.
Residents of the building who leave for work early in the morning and return late at night said they never saw the suspects, who they believed usually kept to themselves during the day.
According to Thanakorn Wiwanakorn, a caretaker at the apartment building, two foreigners have been occupying a room for over a month now, and demonstrated secretive behaviour.
They kept quiet and seemed to avoid contact with other people, he said, adding they also looked like they didn't want to be seen.
Mr Thanakorn said he once saw one of the men standing on his balcony as he was cleaning the courtyard.
The caretaker added that he didn't get a clear view of the man as he was a distance away, but described him as having curly, mid-length hair and wearing a beard.
He said he hasn't seen him since.
