U.S., Israel & Thailand Hunt Hezbollah "Terrorists"

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Security officials arrested a suspected Hezbollah "terrorist" attempting to leave the country on Friday (January 14) from Bangkok's international airport, after a three-week investigation involving Israel, Thailand's prime minister, and the U.S. State Department.

The man reportedly held two passports -- Lebanese and Swedish -- but there was no immediate announcement of any evidence linking him to an alleged plot to kill American, Israeli or other foreign tourists by bombing popular entertainment or religious sites in Bangkok.

The arrested man, who was not publicly identified, "is not one of Hezbollah's members," said Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, who was quoted by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp, according to a Lebanon-based news website, Ya Libnan.

Thai police later issued an illustration of a second man who they were hunting.

Police asked the public to search for the second suspect, especially along tourist-packed Khao San Road and Sukhumvit Road's Soi 22, where entertainment facilities are popular around the clock during Bangkok's warm tropical winter nights.

"This message alerts U.S. citizens in Thailand that foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future," the U.S. Embassy announced on Friday in an e-mail to Americans in Thailand.

"U.S. citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok," said the embassy's American Citizen Services Unit e-mail.

"The info is specific and credible, concerns foreign terrorists and tourist areas in BKK," U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney reportedly tweeted on Friday.

"The arrest has been made, but it is best to wait until things are clearer to announce more details," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said.

"Police said a bombing had been planned and another suspect was at large," the Associated Press reported.

"In Israel, the prime minister's counterterrorism office also warned of 'a clear and present possibility that a terror attack is planned against Israeli travelers in Bangkok'," the A.P. reported.

Australia, the Netherlands, and several other foreign governments subsequently issued similar travel warnings about a possible terrorist attack in Bangkok.

U.S., Israeli and Thai security officials had been coordinating a hunt in Bangkok for at least two suspected Hezbollah members since around December 22.

Some leads indicated that the suspects traveled south from the Thai capital and may have crossed into neighboring Muslim-majority Malaysia.

Several days ago, however, the officials apparently got word that the alleged terrorists were in Bangkok.

"On Jan 8, the [Israeli] intelligence unit warned Thai authorities again that terrorist suspects would plan attacks in Thailand this weekend with tourist spots as their prime targets," the Bangkok Post reported on Friday.

The man who was arrested was detained only for an "immigration" problem -- which may be linked to his alleged possession of two passports -- according to Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung who is in charge of national security.

Mr. Chalerm called on the public to remain calm and not to panic.

The prime minister assigned Mr. Chalerm, along with National Police Chief Priewpan Damapong, and the National Intelligence Agency to investigate the possibility that Bangkok's tourist sites, embassies, Jewish temples or other sites could be targets.

"A highly placed source at the Immigration Bureau said the U.S. embassy told Thai authorities before Christmas that it had been informed by the Israeli embassy [that] a group of suspected militants would launch attacks in Thailand, with Western and American people as their targets," the Bangkok Post reported on Friday.

"An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Special Branch Bureau found that a militant group traveled from Lebanon and stayed near Khao San Road.

Police apparently arrived at the suspects' hotel room too late, but nabbed one of the alleged terrorists as he was departing through Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Khao San Road is one of Asia's most famous and densely populated tourist zones, and is favored by backpackers and other budget travelers.

The area encompasses several streets crammed with inexpensive restaurants, hotels and nightclubs plus a boisterous street market which features open-air bars.

Bangkok's Jewish Chabad House -- which includes a downstairs public restaurant and a Jewish-only upstairs floor with a temple and other facilities -- is guarded by burly Israeli and Thai security officials on a street parallel to Khao San Road.

This Buddhist-majority Southeast Asian nation is a favorite destination for Israeli tourists. About 300 mostly foreign Jews live in Thailand and are usually involved in import-export businesses and precious jewelry production.

Some U.S. and international security officials assume foreign terrorists occasionally use Thailand as a virtual "safe house" where they can hunker down, get medical treatment and counterfeit documents -- so they do not launch attacks because they do not want to create a security crackdown.

The only major successful Middle Eastern terrorist assault in Bangkok occurred on December 28, 1972 when Arab gunmen invaded the Israeli Embassy and seized hostages while simultaneously, across town, Prince Vajiralongkorn was being crowned.

The four Arabs identified themselves as members of "Black September Ali Taha Group," linked to an event in 1970 when Jordon kicked out its Palestinian refugees, killing or wounding 4,000 Palestinians.

The Arab guerrillas arrived at the Israeli embassy in a taxi, brandished assault rifles, gained entry and threatened to kill six hostages, including an Israeli ambassador.

The siege ended peacefully when the rebels were given safe passage to Egypt and departed on a Thai International flight.

Richard S Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist from San Francisco, California, reporting news from Asia since 1978, and recipient of Columbia University's Foreign Correspondent's Award. He is a co-author of four non-fiction books about Thailand, including "Hello My Big Big Honey!" Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews; 60 Stories of Royal Lineage; Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News Since 1946; and King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life's Work: Thailand's Monarchy in Perspective.
His website is
http://www.asia-correspondent.110mb.com

(Copyright 2012 Richard S Ehrlich)

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