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Thai police released this skectch of the man suspected of having planted the bomb
Monday’s bombing in Thailand was “unlikely” to have been the work of an international terror group, the Thai government has said.
Col Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for the ruling military junta, said this was the preliminary conclusion reached by investigators.
The attack on the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok on Monday evening killed 20 people and injured scores.
Police say that at least 10 people are suspected of involvement in the attack.
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said he believed the attack was planned at least a month in advance.
Analysis: Jonathan Head, BBC News, Bangkok
The latest statement by the Thai authorities casts little new light on the mystery surrounding Monday night’s bombing – but it does appear to rule out the involvement of known organisations like al-Qaeda.
The Thais say they have been consulting with intelligence agencies from allied countries, and from their discussions they believe the attack is not linked to international terrorism.
That leaves the possibility that it was carried out by local perpetrators, although there is no group in Thailand with a track record that suggests their involvement. Or it may have been the work of a hitherto unknown group.
The Thai police are still looking for three men seen in a grainy security camera video at the shrine just before the blast and have issued an arrest warrant and requested help from Interpol. However, they have no names or nationalities, and it is possible these men are no longer in the country.
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Worshippers have been returning to the site since it was re-opened on Wednesday
An arrest warrant has been issued for one unidentified man seen on CCTV footage leaving a backpack at the shrine shortly before the blast.
A reward of one million baht ($28,000; £17,950) has been offered for information leading to the main suspect’s arrest.
The Hindu shrine is popular with Buddhist and Chinese tourists, but the spokesman said authorities did not believe Chinese people had been the “direct target” of the attack.
Most of the victims of Monday’s attack were Thai, but nationals from China, Hong Kong, the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore were among the foreigners killed.
BBC