Cherng Talay Police, working with Thalang and Sakhu Police, have confirmed the arrests, identifying the suspects as Hussain Meer, 26; Mir Wayne Carew, 25; Yanne Sarkawat, 25; and Malique Kai Walters, 27. All four men hold British passports.
Police seized two firearms with ammunition, three vehicles, and the victim’s Audemars Piguet wristwatch, worth B2.3mn.
The arrests follow the brazen assault yesterday, when 36-year-old American national Ebrahim Vahid Amiri was rammed from behind by a blue Ford Everest SUV while riding his motorbike along Soi Layan 7 in heavy rain.
Dashcam footage captured two men, dressed in black and appearing to wear balaclavas, exiting the SUV before striking Mr Amiri and robbing him of his watch. They allegedly threatened him with a knife if he didn’t give it to them.
The suspects then fled in the vehicle, later abandoning it in a nearby rubber plantation. A second vehicle, a white car, was seen collecting the men.
Mr Amiri, a lawyer based in Switzerland who has visited Phuket more than 60 times, told police he had never before encountered such an incident in Thailand, which he described as his “second home”.
“I had no arguments or disagreements with anyone. I have always worn this watch,” he said in his statement. He explained that he had been returning to his accommodation after visiting a coffee shop, a market, and a convenience store shortly before the assault.
A witness, Phuket Airport firefighter Somphum Nopwankaew, provided dashcam footage of the attack and helped Mr Amiri file his report with police. “I saw both a gun and a knife used against him. I had never seen anything like this before,” Mr Somphum said.
Cherng Talay Police Chief Col Ekkarat Plaiduang confirmed the four suspects were arrested within 24 hours of the assault.
“We coordinated with Phuket Provincial Police forensic teams to recover evidence from the abandoned vehicle and reviewed CCTV footage along the route,” he said.
Police said investigations are continuing into whether the group is linked to other robberies targeting foreign visitors on the island.