Police have revealed more members of the bombing network that allegedly attacked the Criminal Court last week and set off a blast near the Siam Paragon shopping centre last month, saying some of them are connected to the political turmoil of 2010.
National police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang interrogated four bombing suspects at the Royal Thai Police Office in Bangkok for two hours on Friday. Soldiers handed them to the police after detaining them under martial law.
Two of the four are motorcyclist Mahahin Khunthong, 34, and Yutthana Yenpinyo, 33, his pillion rider who allegedly threw a grenade into the parking lot of the court on Ratchadaphisek Road on March 7.
The other two are their wives: 56-year-old Natthapat Onming of Mr Mahahin, and 20-year-old Thatchaphan Pokkhrong of Mr Yutthana.
Only Miss Thatchaphan denied knowledge about the bombing but police said they had evidence that she had been involved in discussions about the attack beforehand, Pol Gen Somyot said. The attack hurt no one.
The chief said that the same network was also behind two explosions at the BTS train station in front of the Siam Paragon shopping centre on Feb 1 when one person was injured.
Pol Gen Somyot also said that some suspects had mentioned former supreme commander Chaisit Shinawatra and former Bangkok police chief Khamronwit Thoopkrachang. Authorities found their name cards on the suspects but there was no evidence to connect the two to the bombing. Gen Chaisit is a cousin of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The police chief said that the gang had attacked the Criminal Court because of its symbolic value. Authorities think the plotters might have been misled into staging the attack in the hope that violent incidents would draw the United Nations to step in.
He also said that information from the first group of four suspects revealed that six others had been involved in plotting the attack on the court.
Five of them formed one group, consisting of Nares Intharasopha, 32, Sansern Sri-oonruan, 63, Wichai Yusuk, 49, Charnwit Jariyanukul, 61, and Veerasak Towangjon, 42.
The other is a woman identified only as Deer. Mr Veerasak allegedly acquired the grenade and Ms Deer allegedly paid for the attack. Soldiers are detaining them and plan to hand them to police later.
Ms Deer had been involved in political turmoil since 2010, Pol Gen Somyot said.
Police and soldiers conducted a reenactment on the bomb attack at Criminal Court on Friday, with the first four suspects. Three lanes on Ratchadaphisek Road next to the court were closed temporarily for the event.
According to the reenactment, security authorities tried to arrest the bombers right after the attack. Both sides exchanged gunfire and their motorcycle fell over. Mr Mahahin and Mr Yutthana tried to run away and were captured not far from the scene.
Another reenactment was staged at the Thaweewat apartment in Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani, where the two men and their wives allegedly had discussed the attack beforehand.
Pol Maj Gen Chayapol Chatchaidet, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 6, said authorities had received intelligence that the Criminal Court would be attacked, so soldiers had been deployed to wait and were able to arrest the attackers right away.
He said police would seek warrants for the arrest of two other men identified only as Bas and Wit who had jointly plotted the bomb attack with Mr Nares's group. More warrants are also expected for others who were go-betweens linking Ms Deer with Mr Nares's group, the commander said.