| 2012 Bangkok bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part ofIran–Israel proxy conflict | |
 Sukhumvit 71 (Pridi Banomyong) Road, nearby the site of explosion | |
| Location | Watthana, Bangkok,Thailand |
| Date | 14 February 2012 14:00 (UTC+7) |
| Target | Israeli Embassy,Bangkok |
Attack type | Conspiracy |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrators | Saeed Moradi(incarcerated) Mohammad Hazaei(incarcerated) Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh(in custody) Leila Rohani(now at large) Javad Nikkahfard(now at large) Ali Akbar Norouzi Shaya(now at large) |
The2012 Bangkok bombings were a series of explosions that occurred inBangkok,Thailand on 14 February 2012, injuring five people. Israeli authorities said that the bombings were a botched attempt byIranian nationals to assassinateIsraeli diplomats.[1][2][3] Several Iranians were arrested and charged for the attacks, one of whom was badly injured.[2]
The blasts occurred a day afterattacks on Israeli diplomats inTbilisi,Georgia andNew Delhi,India. Israel said that theIranian government was behind thebombings. However, Iran has stated that Israel carried out the attacks in order to damage Tehran's good relations with India, Georgia, and Thailand. Thailand had recently recognized the statehood of Palestine.[4][5]
The first blast happened at about 14:00 at asafe house on Sukhumvit 71, which the suspects had rented. The explosion blew off part of the roof of the structure. The men then fled the house. Moradi, who was injured and bloodied, attempted to flag down a taxi. When the driver, seeing his state, refused to take him, he threw a grenade at the taxi. The grenade damaged the vehicle and injured the driver. Police officers who responded to the blasts then tried to stop Moradi, who tried to escape by throwing another grenade at them. The grenade bounced off a tree and back at him, exploding and severing both his legs.[6]
The investigation involved Thai police officials and forensic experts who collected samples and fragments from the blast sites; a forensic report on the type of explosives used, submitted to police within days; andCCTV footage of the suspects.[7]
Three of the Iranians charged with the bombings, Moradi, Khazaei and Zadeh, flew intoPhuket in southern Thailand on 8 February. They then traveled toPattaya, where they were a tabloid magazine alleges they spent five nights in the company of three femaleprostitutes, before heading to Bangkok.[8][9][10]
Police Forensic Unit Commander Peerapong Damapong described the bombs used as "one of those transistor radios that you can carry around, but the insides have been taken out and replaced with C-4, with the head of the bomb consisting of a bolt, a pin and a detonator attached to it... From what we've seen, it's possible for the components to be bought in Thailand. The explosive isn't that complicated, it's just something that we haven't really seen in this country."[11]
A Thai official said on 17 February that the investigation had not discovered a link between the suspects and any group and that the bombings were probably not an attempt to kill Israeli Defense MinisterEhud Barak, who was scheduled to visit the country.[12]
Iranian nationals:On 22 August 2013, Saeid Moradi was sentenced tolife imprisonment while Mohammad Hazaei was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and deportation.[16]
In November 2020, during a "prisoner swap", Saeed Moradi, Mohammad Hazaei and Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh were exchanged forKylie Moore-Gilbert.[17] Moore-Gilbert was a university lecturer held in Iran for 2 years.[18]
Chief ofRoyal Thai PolicePriewpan Damapong instructed the Transportation Ministry to place the country's six international airports on high alert. The directive was said to follow reports provided by Israeli intelligence that further attacks on Thai soil were possible.[19]
Thai police carried out building-to-building searches around a Jewishsynagogue onSukhumvit Road. The synagogue was already under 24-hour police protection following the arrest in January of a Swedish-Lebanese allegedHezbollah agent.[14]
The Counter-Terrorism Bureau of the IsraeliNational Security Council issued a worldwide travel warning, based on information that Iran andHezbollah were planning additional attacks against Israelis andJews.[20]
