Court sentences two defendants to death over 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing

The South Bangkok Criminal Court has sentenced two defendants to death over the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing at Ratchaprasong, finding no grounds for mitigation in the charge of jointly committing premeditated murder.

On June 11, 2026, the South Bangkok Criminal Court read its judgement in the case linked to the bombing at the Erawan Shrine near Ratchaprasong intersection on August 17, 2015.

The case was filed by prosecutors from the South Bangkok Criminal Litigation Office against Bilal Mohammed, also known as Adem Karadag, and Yusufu Mieraili, along with others.

The attack at the Erawan Shrine killed 20 people, comprising 14 foreign nationals and six Thais, and injured more than 100 others.

The trial lasted almost 11 years, involving testimony from more than 400 prosecution witnesses and more than 45 defence witnesses. The case file comprised more than 10,000 pages of documents.

The court sentenced Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili to death for jointly carrying out the bombing at Ratchaprasong. It also fined each defendant 1,000 baht for carrying weapons in a public place.

The bombing occurred at about 6.55pm on August 17, 2015, at the Erawan Shrine near Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok. The explosion killed 20 people.

Investigators found that the device was an improvised explosive made with TNT and assembled using a pipe component. CCTV footage later showed that the device had been hidden inside a backpack before being placed under a bench within the Erawan Shrine compound.

Authorities later arrested Adem Karadag, who was accused of placing the backpack containing the improvised explosive device under a seat inside the shrine area.

Yusufu Mieraili was accused of assembling the device, procuring equipment and delivering the explosive device to Karadag.