Pattani mosque bombers condemned

"Nobody praises, but condemns such a brutal act that causes loss and pain for our brotherhood," said Waduramae Mamingji, Chairman of Pattani Provincial Islamic Committee.

"It is not a just struggle (for Muslims) as Allah would not take the bomber into his embrace. It's a sin to kill fellow Muslims and damage a holy place," he said, but declined to give sufficient evidence as to why he believed the bomber was a Muslim.

Nimu Makaje, former deputy chairman of Yala Provincial Islamic Committee said that both the authorities and local residents should be aware of the purpose behind the attack since it could be have been used as a decoy to create conflict between Buddhists and Muslim in the region.

"They attack the mosque, a symbol of Islam, to create chaos among religious fellows," he said.

An M26 hand grenade was thrown into a mosque in Pattani's Nong Chik district late on Wednesday while some 20 people were praying. The bomb killed one person instantly. Another died later in hospital, while five other were injured.

Police believed the bomber might belong to a Muslim militant cell that is active in the district. 

 A spate of violence erupted in the predominantly Muslim region at the beginning of 2004 and has killed more than 3,000 people so far.