Key suspect in Bangkok shrine bombing believed to be in Turkey

BANGKOK, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Thai police said a man suspected of leading a shrine bombing in Bangkok that killed 20 people in August possibly fled to Turkey.

An arrest warrant was issued over the weekend for Abudusaeter Abudureheman, 27, also known as Ishan, from Xinjiang province in China. Police said he left Thailand for Bangladesh the day before the incident at Bangkok's Erawan shrine.

"He departed Dhaka on 30 August for Delhi. From Delhi, he continued his travel to Abu Dhabi, and from Abu Dhabi he travelled on 31 August to Istanbul. This is his final destination," a police spokesperson said.

His travels coincide with the suspicion of Thai police that the bombing was connected to Uighur separatists in Xinjian, a group with close ties to Turkey. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but the Thai government said it believes a network, which includes foreigners, was responsible.

Two suspects were arrested, and Monday Malaysian police announced the arrest of three more, two Malaysians and a Pakistani citizen.