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iDesk
Latest on Bangkok Bombing Investigation
Aired August 20, 2015 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:12] ROBYN CURNOW, HOST: Hi there, welcome to the International Desk, I'm Robyn Curnow, live from CNN Center.
We begin with an escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula with artillery fire and threats. First North Korea fired two shells across the
heavily fortified border and South Korea retaliated with dozens more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: I'm going to take you now instead though to Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. President is at The Carter Center in Atlanta and he's about to
brief this audience and the live television audience on his cancer diagnosis.
Let's listen in.
(SIMULCAST OF CNN DOMESTIC CARTER PRESS CONFERENCE AND IN-STUDIO DISCUSSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: You've been watching CNN's coverage of the news that former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter, has announced that his cancer has spread to his
brain, its Melanoma and that he will be starting treatment this afternoon.
I want to bring you up to date on some other news we're covering here at CNN. There are new developments in Bangkok. Thai authorities now say at
least 10 people may have been involved in Monday's deadly attack at a Bangkok shrine.
[10:55:00] The two men who were considered persons of interest have not turned themselves in saying they were not involved in that attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: So far police have singled out a main suspect who they call an unidentified foreigner. These shots from surveillance video show him
moving through the city carrying the backpack throughout to contain bomb. The blast killed 20 people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: We're now bringing in Saima Mohsin, she's going to bring us up to date Saima on what's happening with this investigation, in Thailand?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Robyn, well the very latest is that Thai police say that the two men that have been - had been
identified by police as possible accomplices to the main suspect they believe to be the bomber have turned themselves in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHSIN: They have come forward saying they have no connection to the bomber or the bombing. They have denied any kind of involvement. The two
men let's remind everyone in that CCTV footage Robyn, we see that man in the yellow t-shirt believe is the bomber, that's because of course he came
in with a backpack, he leaves it in the Shrine and leaves without it.
Well there are two men in front of him, one in a white shirt, one in a red shirt, both of them stand up. Now police seem to be working on a process
of elimination and conjecture and we've been trying to say that all day really but they don't know that this is the main suspect, they don't know
that these were accomplices, and now it seems that they have come forward, these two men.
The man in the red shirt Robyn says that he is a tour guide. The man in the white shirt says he is a tourist and they're completely innocent. They
are now being questioned by police at a police station nearby where we are right now just close to the Shrine. And I'm sure police will share more
information with us when they get it.
Now of course the police have said that they don't believe this was a lone wolf attack, there must have been other accomplices but there is a lot of
must have beens Robyn. There's very little shared with the public in the way of evidence and hard facts. A lot of it is trying to work out what
happened on the process of elimination and with that as time wears on there is frustration too. Robyn?
CURNOW: Frustration. Also authorities, just clarify this for us, authorities say this is not linked to international terrorism but they're
looking for a foreigner.
MOHSIN: Yes, again more conjecture it seems because they haven't actually given us any evidence as to why. Of course we don't know who this man is,
they haven't named him, they haven't identified him, the man I'm talking about of course the main suspect in the yellow t-shirt.
They concluded that it must be a foreigner because of that motorbike taxi driver that not only police questioned but CNN, we spoke to them ourselves
as - him ourselves as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOHSIN: And he said that the man wasn't speaking in English and wasn't speaking in Thai. So we are guessing that is why police have concluded
that. And of course there hasn't been a claim of responsibility by any major international terror network. Perhaps that is the sole reason why
they're concluding this isn't the work of an international terrorist organization, Robyn?
CURNOW: Saima Mohsin, thank you so much coming to us there from Bangkok.
Well that does it for us here at the International Desk, I'm Robyn Curnow, stay with CNN Becky Anderson.
END
