Two more suspects sought in Bangkok bombing

Thai officials are looking for two more suspects in the bombing of a Hindu shrine Aug. 17. Police issued arrest warrants Sunday for an unnamed foreign man and a Thai woman known as Wanna Suansun. Both are believed to be part of a group that orchestrated the attack at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine that killed 20 and injured 120 more.

Family members of the 26-year-old woman say she’s been in Turkey for the last three months and is innocent of any crime. But on Sunday, police said they raided an apartment rented in Suansun’s name and found bomb-making materials. They also raided a house in the province of Phang Nga registered to Suansun but didn’t find her.

On Saturday, police made their first arrest in the case, capturing a man whose Bangkok apartment was filled with bomb-making materials that matched those used in the shrine attack and a bombing at a popular ferry pier a day later.

No one has claimed responsibility for either attack, but Thai police claim they were not motivated by international terrorism. They said the attacks stemmed from a “personal grudge” but would not elaborate further. At least one official suggested the bombers were part of a human smuggling group that wanted to strike back at Thai authorities.

But widespread speculation about a motive has focused on Thailand’s decision to return a group of ethnic Uighurs to China in July. The Muslim Uighurs suffer extreme persecution and allegedly have been behind several retaliatory attacks in China in the last few years. Chinese officials label the group Islamic terrorists. The Erawan Shrine is popular with Chinese tourists, offering a reason for Uighurs to choose it as a target.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.