Police arrest foreigner in Bangkok bombing
BANGKOK – Thai authorities arrested a foreign man Saturday they said had been holed up in a suburban apartment with bomb-making equipment and stacks of passports, the first possible breakthrough in the deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine nearly two weeks ago.
All television channels broadcasted a televised announcement Saturday evening on the suspect’s arrest, which came 12 days after the bombing that authorities have called the deadliest attack in Thailand’s modern history.
Police and soldiers raided the apartment in a non-descript concrete building on the outskirts of eastern Bangkok and found bomb-making materials that matched those used in the Aug. 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok, police said.
The blast, which killed 20 people and injured more than 120, was followed a day later by another explosion at a public ferry pier, which caused no injuries but exacerbated concerns about safety in the Thai capital, which draws millions of tourists.
Egyptian court sentences 3 English journalists
CAIRO – An Egyptian court sentenced three Al-Jazeera English journalists to three years in prison Saturday for broadcasting “false news,” sparking an international outcry and underlining how authorities are trampling over free speech just more than a year into general-turned-politician Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s presidency.
The men are now seeking a pardon from el-Sissi, who has personally expressed regret over the long-running trial and the damage it has done to Egypt’s international reputation – saying it would have been better to simply deport the journalists. Al Jazeera said it will also appeal the verdict, once the court releases its full ruling in the next 30 days.
Canadian national Mohammed Fahmy, Australian journalist Peter Greste and Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed’s case had embroiled their work into the wider political conflict between Egypt and Qatar, where Al-Jazeera is based, after the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Associated Press
