Thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Chinese man in relation to the deadly explosion at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine last month, which led to the deaths of at least 20 people. This is the 12^th arrest warrant issued by the Thai police following the bombing.

Thailand's National Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri initially revealed to the press that the suspect belongs to the Uighur ethnic group. However, a photo of the suspect released by the police later did not mention his Uighur ethnicity and simply identified him as Abudusataer Abudurehema or "Ishan."

Like Us on Facebook

Ishan's exact role in the Bangkok bombing remains unclear, but police say he is probably not the "mastermind" of the attack. He is being charged with illegally possessing military weapons. Authorities believe he is also part of a criminal network that is linked to the recent bombing.

According to Prawut, Ishan left Thailand a day before the Aug. 17 attack. He is reported to have flown to Bangladesh with a Chinese passport. Investigators say he left Dhaka for Beijing two weeks later. At the moment, his whereabouts is unknown.

The main suspect in custody at the moment - Yusufu Mierili - was also arrested with a Chinese passport that says he was born in Xinjiang. The passport is yet to be authenticated.

This is the first concrete evidence that renders credence to speculations that the Bangkok bombing was a retaliatory attack for Thailand's deportation of over 100 Uighur Muslims a few months ago. A majority of the victims of the Bangkok bombing were Chinese nationals.

There were several protests in Turkey after the migrants were deported in July. Thai Embassies in the country were forced to close momentarily after coming under attack from angry protesters. Turkish people share deep cultural and religious roots with China's Uighur minority. The alleged repression of Uighurs by the Chinese government has not gone down well with many Turks.

Prior to Mieraili's arrest, Thai police raided an apartment in Bangkok and apprehended a foreigner after bomb-making materials were discovered in the property. The suspect, identified as Adem Karadag, was found with about 200 fake Turkish passports. Investigators say Mieraili's fingerprints were found on bomb-making materials recovered from Karadag's apartment. Although Prawut admits that Karadag may not have been directly involved in the Bangkok bombing, he believes that he must have somehow aided the plot.

TagsBangkok Bombing, Yusufu Mierili, Adem Karadag, Uighurs, Abudusataer Abudurehema