SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A Swedish-Lebanese man with suspected ties to Hezbollah was charged in Thailand Monday by police who said he had a large cache of bomb-making materials.
Police charged Hussein Atris, a Lebanese man with a Swedish passport, after dozens of police raided a commercial building in Samut Sakhon and found nearly 5 tons of urea-based fertilizer and more than 75 gallons of ammonium nitrate, the Bangkok Post reported.
Atris had been arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport Thursday evening and told police where the materials, which can be used to make explosives, could be found. The materials were not meant to be used for any planned attack in Thailand, Atris allegedly told investigators.
National Police Chief Priewpan Damapong said the materials were kept in boxes for shipping to other countries. He said the suspect had rented the building for more than a year and the materials had been there for quite some time.
Atris will remain in police custody and the national police chief will make any ultimate decision on any possible extradition and deportation.
Citing a source at the Immigration Bureau, the Post said the arrest of the suspect, who allegedly has links to Hezbollah's militant wing, came at the behest of Israeli authorities.
