Police
said Tuesday they are hunting for a suspect seen in CCTV footage who
they believe is connected to the bombing, which ripped through crowds
gathered near the Erawan Shrine on Monday evening, killing at least 22 people and reportedly injuring about 120.
In
one CCTV image released by police, the man carries a dark-colored
backpack near the shrine. In another, he no longer has the backpack.
He's wearing a yellow T-shirt and dark-framed glasses.
Royal
Thai Police Commissioner Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung said authorities
don't yet know the man's identity or whether he is Thai or a foreigner.
At
a later news conference, police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri
said authorities were "very sure" the man in the yellow shirt was the
bomber.
The commissioner said the man sat down at 6:52 p.m. local time (7:52 a.m. ET) Monday and hid the backpack underneath a bench.
Investigators believe he left a pipe bomb.
The
shrine, situated at a bustling intersection near a large shopping mall,
is a big draw for tourists. At least seven people from other Asian
countries were reported to be among the dead as well as one Briton. The
site is popular among Buddhists as well as Hindu and Sikh members of
Thailand's Indian community.
After being swarmed with police investigators Tuesday, the shrine reopened to the public Wednesday morning.
Prawut
told Thai TV 3's talk show "Joa Khao Den" that tips have led
authorities to check out Suvarnabhumi Airport and parts of Chonburi
Province, to the southeast of the capital. He didn't specify what
information led investigators there.
Police
believe the man assembled the bomb in Thailand because many pieces of
the explosive device, including the pipe, were made in the country, he
said.
"From
this incident, it is apparent that there are active individuals or
groups that harbor the intention to damage Thailand, who may be pursuing
political gain or other intentions by damaging the economy and
tourism," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.
Adding
to the jitters, a new explosion was heard Tuesday at a pier on the Chao
Phraya River that flows through Bangkok, police told CNN. No injuries
were reported and the pier was closed, said Prawut.
The second explosion was caused by the same type of bomb as the earlier one, Prawut told reporters.
Police
are looking into the possibility that Tuesday's blast happened when
someone on a motorcycle threw a bomb toward the floating pier, he said.
The second bomb eventually fell into the water, he said.
Bodies thrown, bikes mangled and a vibrant city on edge