Thailand has blamed a deadly blast at an apartment complex near Bangkok on the anti-government "Red Shirt" movement as investigators probed whether a bomb-maker caused the explosion accidentally.
Authorities said the powerful blast, which killed at least three people and injured nine late last night, was believed to be linked to political unrest.
"It's clear that the bombers are Red Shirt people," the defence minister General Prawit Wongsuwon said.
"As far as I know there were several bombs stored in that room, as you can see that it was very powerful. There are a lot of bombs kept in other places," he said. Police found three bodies and one severed limb, suggesting the final death toll could be four, said Chatree Charoencheewakul, the head of the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand. The blast, believed to have occurred in a room on the second floor of the apartment building in Nonthaburi Province north of Bangkok, shattered windows and damaged nearby buildings.
"It was about 10 kilos of explosive material," Lt Col Kamthorn Ucharoen of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Identification Special Operation Division said. "We are checking what type of bomb it was but we found nitrate. The bombers were probably making a crude bomb inside room 202 and there was an accident and it exploded prematurely," he said.
The explosion came hours after Thailand extended a state of emergency in Nonthaburi and three other provinces, including Bangkok, for three more months.
The emergency laws were introduced in the capital in early April in response to mass anti-government rallies by the "Red Shirt" movement that ultimately left 91 people dead in clashes between demonstrators and the army. The rules ban public gatherings of more than five people and give security forces the right to detain suspects for up to 30 days without charge. The government has stepped up security following a string of grenade attacks in Bangkok, including a blast at a bus stop in July that killed a man.
The Red Shirts deny any involvement in the explosions and have accused the government of a conspiracy to justify tougher security powers. A senior intelligence official said the latest blast was "related to the current political situation".
He added: "This is a signal that more violence is expected."
The Thai government has come under pressure from the US and rights groups to roll back the state of emergency to help the country recover from civil violence that has left it deeply divided.
Authorities have used their emergency powers to arrest hundreds of suspects and silence anti-government media.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
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Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
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Nationality: Emirati
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
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Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
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Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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