American held after bank robbery

Harold Guyier, 54, remains in custody of Pratoonam Chulalongkorn police after protesting his innocence. He has been charged with armed robbery, although police said they are still seeking further evidence.

Guyier was found not far from a Siam City Bank branch which had been robbed a short time before by a hooded person, thought to be a man. He told security guards and police he was merely "strolling around", even after police found a set of clothing worn by the lone robber discarded and hidden in a bush nearby.

According to police, the robber in a black hood entered the branch at noon, jumped over a counter to open a drawer and grabbed a stash of banknotes, totalling Bt148,600 and ran away. The robber said nothing during the five-minute heist.

No details are available about the robber's build and other distinctive details, but his clothing - a cream-coloured overall and a hat of the same colour, a black hood, a pair of sunglasses and a pair of black gloves, were all found abandoned in the bush.

Onlookers and the bank's security guards chased the robber and overpowered him in a struggle, before he shot pepper spray in their faces and made off.

Police said they were waiting for DNA-based test results to determine whether the clothing was worn by Guyier.