Police detain man allegedly linked to possible car-bomb vehicle theft
Police detained a 30-year-old man at his house on Sunday in Yala’s Than To district for allegedly stealing a pickup and resisting authorities’ attempts to search him.
The suspect was identified as Habuesoh Atong, a native of Than To.
The man allegedly stole a black Mitsubishi with a Satun license plate belonging to Weerayut Detnun, who parked the vehicle in Yala’s Muang district on Friday night. When it was reported missing, police and soldiers conducted an emergency search for the vehicle as they believed that it could possibly be used in car bomb attack in the region.
On Saturday, soldiers at a checkpoint in Bannang Sata district spotted a black pickup on the road and asked the driver to stop for a search. However, the driver refused to stop and drove through the checkpoint, prompting authorities to open fire, which forced the driver to abandon the vehicle and escape on foot.
Forensic officials are examining fingerprints collected from the vehicle, which had been stripped of its licence plates and roof rack.
The police investigation then led to Habuesoh’s house on Sunday morning. When he was arrested, he was discovered to have a wound on one ear, which police said was inflicted during the shooting at the checkpoint.
After his arrest, Habuesoh was brought to a military camp in Pattani’s Nong Chik district for further questioning.
