The family of a Thai-Muslim woman arrested yesterday at Suvarnabhumi airport for alleged involvement in the deadly explosion at the Erawan shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection in the capital two years ago says she came back to Thailand to prove her innocence.
However, Thai police said the Thai and Turkish embassies had liaised regarding Wanna Suansan, 29, leading to her return to the country.
Ms Wanna has been charged in connection with the shrine bombing, which killed 20 people and wounded 130 others, with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and using war-grade explosives illegally.
According to the police investigation, Ms Wanna was accused of involvement in the August 2015 shrine explosion by providing shelter for the two actual bombers two years ago.
She was apprehended at 5.30pm by Thai police yesterday as she arrived at the airport from Turkey.
Ms Wanna, originally from Phangnga, arrived at the airport with her two sons -- one and three years old -- and her family wept as they embraced her and her children.
She was not accompanied by her husband, who is Turkish.
Thai police earlier said they had sought cooperation from Turkey to arrest her and her husband for their alleged involvement in the explosion.
Aim-orn Suansan, the 40-year-old sister-in-law of Ms Wanna, said her family was delighted that Ms Wanna had returned to Thailand and she was glad to see Ms Wanna and her children again.
Ms Wanna wanted to come back to Thailand to prove she had nothing to do with the bombing, which she has always insisted on, Ms Aim-orn said.
She had been detained in an unidentified location in Turkey along with her husband since 2015 before being allowed to return to Thailand, Ms Aim-orn said.
Police plan to bring Ms Wanna before a military court today.
The charges were read out to her in the presence of a lawyer, her brother and village head.
Ms Wanna is one of 17 suspects wanted for involvement in the 2015 bombing at the shrine. With her arrest, a total of three suspects have been detained.
The two other suspects, accused bombers Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag, also known a Bilal Mohammed, were detained in November 2015, pending trial.
Deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Ms Wanna's detention was not considered as an extradition.
He said a warrant was out for her arrest and police proceeded to apprehend her when she returned to Thailand.
Ms Wanna herself had earlier denied any involvement in the shrine blast. She admitted renting an apartment room in Bangkok, though she said she stopped doing so a year ago.
Ibrahim Komkam, a village headman in Phangnga, who was present at the arrest yesterday, said he has known Ms Wanna since she was a child. He said her Turkish husband could not speak Thai.
He said the last time he saw Ms Wanna and her husband was when the couple travelled from Bangkok to Phangnga in May 2015, when she prepared documents necessary to travel to Turkey.
The couple left Thailand on May 17, 2015 via Phuket International airport, Mr Ibrahim said.
He said he had found out that Ms Wanna continued to contact her relatives in Phangnga for help. She had always told her relatives that she had done nothing wrong, according to the village headman.
Her relatives also tried very hard to bring her back to Thailand, including petitioning the prime minister.
Ms Wanna told police she was the woman in the outstanding arrest warrant.
She is scheduled to be taken to the military court at 8am today.
Meanwhile, police have arrested one of a group of illegal Uighur migrants who escaped from an immigration detention facility in Songkhla's Sadao district on Monday.
National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said the escapee was detained and later questioned yesterday, adding details of the arrest must still remain confidential.
On Monday, 25 of the migrants broke out of the detention centre after they climbed out from a hole gouged through a bathroom wall.
Five escapees were detained at the scene while the others managed to flee. Five more were re-arrested in Malaysia.
Pol Gen Chakthip said he has instructed authorities to patrol and inspect areas deemed to be possible escape routes, such as immigration checkpoints and other natural channels.
The escapees would most likely be hiding around the border, he added.
