Thailand arrests woman wanted for 2015 shrine bombing

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Police in Thailand arrested a woman on Wednesday wanted in connection with a 2015 bombing at a shrine in Bangkok that left 20 people dead.

Wanna Suansan, 29, was arrested at Bangkok airport on Wednesday evening, local police confirmed but did not say where she had arrived from.

Wanna faces a number of charges including premeditated murder and co-possession of explosives and weapons, police said.

“After questioning, police will send her to prosecutors,” officers told reporters at the national police headquarters.

She is one of 17 people wanted in connection with the bombing.

Wanna Suansan, a female suspect of the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing, is escorted by the police to a military court in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 23, 2017. / Xinhua/Thai News Pix Photo

Investigators said that Wanna rented a room in Bangkok to other bombing suspects but fled the country shortly after the attack.

A relative told reporters that Wanna wanted to come back to Thailand to prove her innocence.

The incident, which took place on August 17, 2015, saw a bomb hidden in a backpack left behind a seat at the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist spot, explode at 6:55 p.m. killing 20 people - including seven Chinese nationals - and injuring over 120 other people.

Thai police ruled out terrorism, saying the bombing was prompted by a crackdown on human smuggling networks.

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Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency