A group of assailants captured four security guards and locked them in a room before stealing a vehicle belonging to the local administrative office. They then used this vehicle to carry out a car bomb attack that caused significant damage to a district office and a police station. Authorities suspect that this incident is linked to the “Tak Bai case.”
At 12:30 AM on October 24, 2024, while police officer Weerapong Thong-ngam was on duty at the Patani police station, a loud explosion occurred, shaking the building and shattering glass. The car bomb went off on the road next to the police station, adjacent to the Panare district office.
Officers inside quickly evacuated as the car bomb ignited, prompting authorities to cordon off the area for safety and notify Police Colonel Chaiwat Panbuntoeng. The police then collaborated with a bomb disposal unit to assess the situation.
Panare District Chief, Monchai Nusaith, who was nearby, rushed to inspect the scene and instructed caution against potential subsequent attacks. After approximately 30 minutes, the fire from the car bomb was extinguished, with no injuries or fatalities reported, and only minor effects experienced by officers at the guard post.
Authorities discovered remains of a gray Mitsubishi pickup truck belonging to the local office, which was completely destroyed, with parts scattered. Some debris even fell onto the roof of Monchai Nusaith’s house without causing injuries.
The attack also damaged the wooden walls of the district office and shattered every window in the new police station building, along with causing damage to several vehicles.
Following the incident, Colonel Chaiwat ordered an investigation at the local administrative office since the stolen vehicle was used for the bombing. Upon arriving, officers found the four security guards tied up and locked inside the office. They were unharmed.
Investigations revealed that about an hour before the bombing, approximately ten armed assailants dressed in black stormed the site, threatened the guards into submission, and forced them to hand over the vehicle keys before stealing the truck and locking the guards inside.
Security footage helped track the assailants after they drove away with the vehicle and parked it at the bombing site, where one assailant left the truck before escaping on a motorcycle. After about five minutes, they detonated the explosive, estimated to weigh around 20 kilograms. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths occurred.
The investigation suspects this attack was carried out by Abdulloh Mudo, an infamous bomber linked to earlier incidents in the region. The police believe this car bomb incident is related to the Tak Bai case, as the perpetrators seem to aim at creating a volatile situation.
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This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
