Bangkok: 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.
According to Thai News Agency, 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 August 17, 2015, at the popular shrine in central Bangkok, claiming the lives of both Thai citizens and foreign tourists. Police investigations led to the arrest of Karadag at a Bangkok apartment, where bomb-making materials were discovered. He was identified 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, which spanned nearly seven years, faced delays due to the pandemic, interpreter changes, and a large volume of evidence involving 440 witnesses. The court asserted that the severity of the attack, which impacted national security, left no grounds for leniency. Following the verdict, Karadag shouted in protest against the decision.
Both defendants plan to appeal the verdict within a month, according to a lawyer defending one of the men.