BANGKOK, Thailand – A Thai court on Thursday sentenced two men to death for the 2015 bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, which killed 20 people and injured over 100 others. The Bangkok South Criminal Court found Adem Karadag, also known as Bilal Mohammed, and Yusufu Mieraili guilty of premeditated murder and unauthorized possession of explosives. The court also ordered them to pay 4.78 million baht in compensation to government agencies.
The blast occurred on Aug. 17, 2015, at the popular shrine in central Bangkok, killing both Thai citizens and foreign tourists. Police arrested Karadag at a Bangkok apartment containing bomb-making materials, identifying him as the man in a yellow t-shirt seen on CCTV leaving a backpack at the shrine. Mieraili was later arrested in Cambodia and extradited.
Both defendants initially confessed during the investigation but later recanted their statements in court, pleading not guilty and alleging they were tortured. The trial lasted nearly seven years due to pandemic delays, interpreter changes, and a large volume of evidence involving 440 witnesses. The court ruled that the severity of the attack, which impacted national security, left no grounds for leniency. Karadag shouted in protest against the decision following the verdict. Both defendants intend to appeal the verdict within a month, according to a lawyer defending one of the men. (TNA)
