The bomb-laden pickup truck parked directly in front of the Big C superstore in Muang Pattani district minutes before it exploded. (Photo from Abdulloh Benjakat)An Islamic teacher, a local administrator and four followers have been arrested on charges of stealing the pickup truck later used in the Big C car bombing. The southern army chief said DNA samples from the victim would be compared with those collected from blood stains found at a local mosque named by the Islamic teacher. The 4th army chief said members of local government organisations were involved in the violence in Pattani. Security authorities had been lenient at the Big C Supercentre, he added, because 90% of the customers were Muslims, many of them women and children.

Source: Bangkok Post May 11, 2017 10:31 UTC