Thailand wants Malaysia to extradite bomb suspect

17.02.2012

Bangkok

Thailand is seeking approval from the Malaysian authorities to extradite a suspect in this week's bombing incident in Bangkok who fled to Malaysia. A plane has already been prepared to take the man back to Thailand.
Thailand and Malaysia do not have an extradition treaty, though both countries have cooperated by turning over suspects in the past, Police Lieutenant-General Thanakorn Siri-at, Commissioner of the Special Branch Bureau, told reporters yesterday.
Thai officials detained two men with Iranian passports who accidentally set off explosives in a house they were renting in Bangkok on Tuesday.
They are also seeking an Iranian woman, identified as Leila Rohani, who helped the three men rent the house. But she has left Thailand and is now in Tehran, according to the top immigration police official, Lt-Gen Wiboon Bangthamai.
Meanwhile, Thailand's top policeman confirmed yesterday that the three Iranian men were planning to attack Israeli diplomats, in the first confirmation by local officials that the group was plotting attacks in Thailand.
The statement came after days of strong accusations by Israel that Iran was behind the botched plot as well as two others in India and the former Soviet republic of Georgia this week. Iran has denied the charges.
Citing the similarity of bombs used in New Delhi and Tbilisi, the national police chief, General Prewpan Dhamapong, said that the Thai authorities now "know for certain that (the target) was Israeli diplomats".
"This issue was about individuals and the targets were specific," he said. "This was something personal."
One of the Iranians, Mohammad Kharzei, was paraded before journalists yesterday wearing a striped short-sleeve shirt.
Gen Prewpan said Kharzei had "partially confessed" and had acknowledged knowing one of the other suspects, Saeid Moradi, who lost both his legs when he tried to throw a grenade at police as he was fleeing.
The suspects face criminal charges including possession of explosives, attempted murder, attempted murder of a policeman and causing explosions that damaged property.
Gen Prewpan said he believed there already was enough evidence to prosecute them.
The Israeli Ambassador to Thailand, Mr Itzhak Shoham, declined to comment on reports his staff had been specifically targeted. He said the Israeli Embassy was open and functioning as normal.