Iran

Three Iranians linked to a series of blasts in Bangkok this week had come to Thailand to target Israeli diplomats, Police Chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong

"They were aiming at individuals, specifically Israeli diplomats," Priewpan said after interviewing one of the Iranian suspects, Mohummad Hazaei, 42, who was arrested trying to leave the country Tuesday night.

Priewpan said Thai authorities had requested that Malaysia send another Iranian suspect, Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh, 31, who they arrested late Wednesday, back to Bangkok to assist with Thailand’s investigation.

All three suspects were residing in a rented house in Bangkok that was rocked by an apparently accidental explosion Tuesday, prompting them to flee.

While Hazaei and Zadeh managed to escape the scene of the explosion, a third Iranian, Saeid Moradi, 32, was less fortunate.

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Moradi tried to hail a cab but when none stopped for him, he allegedly threw a grenade at a passing taxi, injuring the driver and three bystanders. When a police car approached him, Moradi threw another explosive device at the vehicle, but it bounced back towards him and exploded, severing both his legs, authorities said.

The house was rented in the name of an Iranian woman, Rohani Leila, 32, who was living in Thailand on a residence visa, which is usually difficult to obtain.

"She was here on a residence visa to study the Thai language," Thai Immigration Police Commissioner Wiboon Bangthamai said. "She is no longer in Thailand. We think she has returned to Iran."

All four suspects face charges of possession of explosives and attempted murder.

Priewpan was scheduled to go to the Indian embassy Thursday to seek its cooperation in linking the Bangkok incident to recent attacks on Israeli diplomats in Georgia and India.

Priewpan’s statement that the Iranian suspects were in Bangkok to target Israeli diplomats seemed to contradict other Thai official statements that sought to distance Tuesday’s incident from terrorism, perhaps to protect Thailand’s tourism industry.

By Thursday, 14 governments - Israel, Britain, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, New Zealand and Taiwan - have issued travel warnings to their citizens visiting Thailand, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said.

Critics have faulted the government for not being more forthcoming in labelling Tuesday’s incident as a terrorist act.

"It’s a matter of definition, but the impact is the same," said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. "When there is an explosion in the middle of Bangkok, that causes terror."

Intelligence authorities were already aware of Iranians operating in Bangkok, said Panitan, a former government spokesman.

"Iranians have been surveying US and Israeli targets for some time now," he said. "They may have been here on vacation, but they were looking for loopholes in our security."