A man identified as a former right-hand man of late Army adviser Khattiya Sawasdiphol was allegedly behind several grenade and gunfire attacks during the red-shirt protests in May, in addition to two other attacks he admitted to after his arrest on Thursday, Department of Special Investigation sources said yesterday.
According to the sources, Surachai Thewarat, 25, was possibly linked to two grenade attacks on April 10 that killed five soldiers, including Colonel Romklao Thuwatham; an M-79 grenade attack on the Sala Daeng BTS station on April 22; another on the 11th Infantry Regiment on March 28; a rocket-propelled-grenade attack on Dusit Thani Hotel on May 17; and an M-79 attack near Lumpini Park, which killed two policemen.
After his arrest on Thursday, the jobless Buri Ram native allegedly admitted to taking part in two attacks, one with an M-79 on May 19 on Lumpini police station and a gunfire attack on a police checkpoint on May 8, which killed one policeman.
The suspect is under detention after the Criminal Court yesterday turned down his request for a temporary release. He has admitted to automatic gunfire into the Dusit Thani, but pleaded not guilty to the other two cases he allegedly admitted to on Thursday.
Special operations 191 police, who arrested Surachai in Lop Buri on Thursday, said he also admitted to firing M-79 grenades on several occasions towards People's Alliance for Democracy protesters during their occupation of the Government House compound two years ago.
Police Colonel Phanurat Lakbun said Surachai had also been wanted for several counts of assault on his parents-in-law, on a nephew of his wife - causing him serious injuries - and on one another person.
Police are interviewing 30 people while gathering evidence on telephone communications and money transactions between the suspect and other people.
The officer said the suspect travelled to Lop Buri to carry out an assassination in the province, having re-entered Thailand on June 20. He had fled to Cambodia after the main red-shirt protest site at the Rajaprasong intersection was dispersed by troops on May 19.
Surachai also admitted to firing from an automatic rifle at Dusit Thani Hotel, on one occasion out of anger stemming from Khattiya being shot in the head, in the belief that the hotel sheltered the sharpshooter who had attacked the late Army major-general, the officer said.
Citing tip-offs leading to Surachai's arrest, DSI director-general Tharit Phengdit said the suspect "went underground" after the red-shirt protest was broken up on May 19 but ran out of money, so he started selling weapons and munitions.
The DSI first located the suspect after a sting in Chon Buri province in which he sold two AK-47 rifles, two M-79 launchers and 25 grenades to Navy agents for Bt60,000. The items were part of an arms cache allegedly given to him by Khattiya for use during the protests.
Police said a separate investigation was underway to determine whether police or government officials had sheltered the suspect during his escape or facilitated it in any other way.