June 25, 2025
BANGKOK – Two Muslim men from Pattani were arrested in Phang Nga in the early hours of Tuesday while en route to Phuket with what is believed to be a homemade bomb equipped with a timing device hidden in their car.
The arrest took place at the bypass intersection in front of the Phang Nga Provincial Hall.
Police from Mueang Phang Nga station manning a checkpoint stopped the Honda City after the driver made a sudden turn upon spotting the checkpoint, arousing suspicion.
The driver was identified as Muhama Wadeng, 27, and the passenger as Sulaiman Gaza, also 27. Both are residents of Pattani province.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered what appeared to be a homemade explosive device with a timer, concealed in a transparent plastic bag inside one of the suspects’ personal luggage.
A team of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officers was called to the scene and confirmed the device was indeed a homemade bomb. It was also found to be wired to a mobile Wi-Fi router.
The two suspects told police they had been paid to transport the vehicle and the suspected bomb from Ban Sakom village in Thepha district, Songkhla province, at 7pm on Sunday. They were instructed to follow a GPS-guided route through Songkhla, Phatthalung, Trang, Krabi, and Phang Nga, with the final destination being Phuket. However, they were intercepted in Phang Nga.
Following the arrest, Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, ordered an investigation to determine whether the suspects and the device were linked to the southern insurgency. The investigation team will consult with security agencies in the deep South to assess the nature of the device.