The suspects, identified as ‘Sulaiman’ and ‘Mahama Wadeng’, were apprehended by Phang Nga Police on Tuesday (June 24). They were later transferred to the Interrogation Center at the Yala Provincial Police Operations Center yesterday (June 25) for further questioning.
During separate interrogations, Mahama Wadeng admitted to planting three bombs in total. He specifically revealed that a white Wave motorbike, license plate 3422, was rigged with explosives and was intended to be used in an attack at Phuket Airport.
Mahama Wadeng confessed to planting three bombs. He also admitted that the white motorcycle with license plate 3422, which he used during the operation, was rigged as a motorcycle bomb and was placed at Phuket International Airport.
Police located the motorbike at Phuket Airport late yesterday afternoon and destroyed the device through a controlled explosion yesterday evening.
According to a report by Phang Nga Police, investigators who reviewed CCTV footage found that last Saturday night (June 21), at around 9pm, Mahama’s friend delivered a white Honda Wave motorbike to a house in the Yarang area. Later, an accomplice named Paju picked Mahama up from that house.
They traveled together to the Hat Sakom area in Songkhla in a bronze Toyota pickup truck. When they arrived, the group had already gathered, including a sedan (which was later seized) and three motorbikes.
The team consisted of: Mahama Wadeng, riding a white Honda Wave motorcycle; Paju, riding a blue Honda Wave motorcycle; Po Sue, riding another white Honda Wave motorcycle; Sulaiman, driving the sedan, which carried bombs and fuel hidden in the engine compartment.
Their convoy traveled with Paju and Po Sue leading on motorcycles, Sulaiman driving the sedan in the middle, and Mahama following at the back on his motorbike. Along the way, they switched motorbikes and jackets to avoid detection and stopped overnight in Krabi.
The next morning, around 8am, they continued toward Phuket. Before arriving, they attached Grab food delivery bags to the motorcycles to disguise their activities. Around noon, they stopped at the Baan Tha Chatchai Mosque at the northern tip of Phuket to eat and pray, spending about 30 minutes there. They then proceeded to the Nurul Jannah Mosque in Baan Bang Rong in Pa Khlok for midday prayers.
After praying, Paju concealed a bomb under the seat of the white Honda Wave motorcycle, license plate 3422, converting it into a motorcycle bomb. Paju then rode the motorcycle to plant it, while Po Sue followed on another motorcycle to pick him up after the device was placed. Both returned to the mosque afterward.
According to the confession, the group then planted another bomb at Laem Phromthep. For this leg of the mission, Mahama rode the white motorcycle, Paju took the blue motorcycle, and Po Sue traveled with Sulaiman in the sedan.
When they reached the drop-off point, they placed an explosive hidden in the motorbike, then handed the motorbike to Po Sue to position.
Mahama said the group then moved on to Patong Beach, where they planted two additional bombs.
Mahama said he and Sulaiman took turns driving, but he could not remember which vehicle each person used at different times. At Patong Beach, Mahama handed a bomb to Po Sue for placement. After that, the group split up and continued traveling separately until their arrest.
Police bomb detection units scoured the Patong beachfront yesterday, but did not report finding any explosive devices.
Sulaiman in his confession confirmed that the group left Thepha District area in Songkhla at around 8am to head to Phuket. The group stopped in Krabi to sleep on a beach, though he could not recall the exact location. They later visited the mosque at Saphan Sarasin (Baan Tha Chatchai) to pray before proceeding with their bombing mission. Sulaiman also confirmed that the motorcycle bomb was planted at Phuket Airport.
INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY
Police investigations are ongoing to identify additional accomplices and determine whether the plot is linked to broader regional security threats.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, speaking at Phuket Airport last night, said that officers were still working to determine whether the device found hidden inside the motorbike at Phuket Airport was an explosive.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum explained that initial checks could not confirm what was hidden under the motorcycle seat. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and police K-9 units were called in to assist with the investigation.
Following standard safety protocols, the EOD team destroyed the “suspicious object” at approximately 6:20pm. The controlled explosion caused a loud noise, which police later clarified was the sound of the object breaking apart and the firing of the EOD equipment.
“At this stage, we cannot yet confirm whether the object was actually a bomb,” Pol Maj Gen Sinlert said. “If it was a real bomb, the damage would likely have been more severe. However, the initial inspection showed almost no damage from the destruction process.”
Fragments from the object have been collected and will be sent for further forensic analysis to determine exactly what the item was.
Police are continuing their investigation and have not ruled out any possibilities, Pol Maj Gen Sinlert said.