On 8 September, Thai authorities announced that 32-year old Hakeem Doloh, a Pattani native, had been linked to both the Southern View hotel bombing on 23 August, and the mid-south bombings between 10-14 August. Regarding the latter, Mr. Doloh was specifically linked to the 11 August firebombing of a Tesco Lotus store in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which is well outside the established insurgency zone.

The charges against the suspect, reports The Nation, are as follows: “premeditated murder, attempted murder, terrorism, possession of an explosive without permission, detonating the bomb, and racketeering.”

This revelation simply reinforces the Thailand threat warnings posted here and here by Muir Analytics. The insurgency is now attacking well beyond its traditional borders, and it is attacking civilian establishments, including hotels and tourist spots. More attacks against these type targets in Thailand’s mid-south and throughout the rest of Thailand, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and other locales, cannot be ruled out. The insurgents have proven that they have the will to attack these places, and they have the capabilities – intelligence gathering, logistics coordination, and operations planning/execution – to operate outside their normal battlespace.

Sources and further reading:

“Police link Mother’s Day bombing suspect to Pattani attack,” The Nation, 8 August 2016.

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