Thai police have arrested 3 men on charges of providing a 14 year old boy with a gun and ammunition used in a deadly mall shooting in Bangkok earlier this week.
The men, named as 45-year-old Suwanhong Brahma, 22 year old Akkarawit Jaithong, and a 30 year old named only as Mr Piyabutr, were all arrested yesterday, October 5.
The first two men were arrested in the southern province of Yala, while Piyabutr was arrested in Bangkok. They are being transferred to Yannawa Police Station for legal proceedings. All 3 deny the allegations against them.
The shooting at the Siam Paragon mall on Tuesday, October 3, resulted in the death of two women – a Burmese mall worker and a Chinese tourist. Five others were injured in the incident. The teenage gunman, who’s understood to have a history of mental health problems, was arrested at the scene. His name is being withheld by police.
The men who allegedly supplied him with a blank gun and bullets, as well as modifying the gun for him, were arrested under warrants issued by the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court. They have been charged with “unauthorised possession and distribution of firearms and ammunition for commercial purposes.”
The police investigation shows that the 14-year-old bought a blank Glock 19 gun online, transferring 16,000 baht to Mr. Suwanhong’s account. Suwanhong then made a withdrawal from an ATM in Yala. He was arrested in a police raid on his house, in the Sateang sub-district, along with Akkarawit, who lived with him.
The authorities seized 209 blank gun rounds, 33 discarded bullet casings, one 9mm bullet head, and 33 pieces of 15mm iron pipes used for gun modification. Police also confiscated a bank withdrawal slip.
The Phuket Express reports that Akkarawit ran the “Koonseu Yabee Facebook page, which offered blank guns for sale. The page was only around 5 months old but shut down a day or two after the Bangkok mall shooting.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
