Motorcycle destroyed at Phuket airport after explosive confirmed inside

Bomb squad technicians destroyed a motorcycle today, which had been abandoned in the parking area of Phuket International Airport, after a suspicious item was found hidden inside, said Monchai Tanode, director of the airport.

The airport activated its emergency response plan, which included cordoning off the area and dispatching an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.

According to police, the suspicious item had been concealed inside the motorcycle, which had been left about 200 meters from the passenger terminal.

The EOD team conducted an initial inspection, and a K9 unit was brought in to assist. The dog gave a preliminary indication that the item did indeed contain explosive material.

In the first attempt, the team tried to disable the circuitry. Due to uncertainty over the presence of a secondary trigger, however, the EOD team proceeded to safely destroy the device.

This incident followed one yesterday, when police in Phang Nga province arrested two men travelling by car after discovering a device resembling a bomb detonator in their vehicle.

The suspects said they were from Pattani and had been hired to deliver a package to an unknown person in Phuket.

They claimed not to know what was inside the package. Initial reports indicated that they were en route to Phuket, but CCTV footage later revealed that they had already left Phuket and were heading back when they were arrested in Phang Nga.

Read: Phang-nga police arrest two men after explosive device is found in car

Following the arrest, Phuket police tightened security across the island province.

CCTV footage showed two motorcycles entering Phuket around the same time as the suspects’ car, but only one was seen leaving the province. Police then traced the remaining motorcycle to Phuket Airport.