Gunmen storm Pattani department store, set off bombs

PATTANI - Armed insurgents stormed into a big department store in Pattani on Saturday evening, forcing customers and employees to leave before detonating three bombs.

Security officials believe the insurgents were attempting to fuel unrest in the southern border province ahead of floated, approaching talks in Malaysia. 

The attack on the Global House store in tambon Bana of Muang Pattani district began shortly before 7pm.

Armed men first evicted customers and staff. Three explosions rocked the building minutes later.

Five masked men armed with assault rifles and handguns had arrived on two motorcycles and a motorcycle-sidecar combination, Pol Col Jeffrey Salaimankul, chief of Muang Pattani police station, said on Sunday.

Two of the attackers subdued security guards at the entrance, while two others entered the store and ordered staff and customers to leave. The men then planted three explosive devices at different locations inside the building.

A fifth suspect parked the bomb-laden sidecar in the store's loading area.

Before fleeing, one of the attackers told a security guard: “If you do not want anyone to be killed, hurry and get everyone out of the store.”

The suspects escaped on motorcycles. About five minutes later, three bombs exploded inside the store. No deaths or injuries were reported.

Security forces sealed off the area amid fears that additional explosives had been left behind.

An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit led by Pol Lt Gen Piyawat Chalermsri, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 9, inspected the sidecar combination left in the loading bay. A drone detected suspicious objects inside the vehicle and the team deployed a robot to disable the device before moving the sidecar to a safe area for examination.

The vehicle contained an improvised bomb packed into a gas cylinder weighing nearly 50 kilogrammes, along with seven gallons of petrol. They spent two hours safely dismantling it.

Images released by the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 show the gas cylinder used as an improvised bomb, along with fuel containers, on a motorcycle and sidecar left inside the loading area at the Global House store bombed in Pattani on Saturday night. (Photo: Isoc Region 4)

Police said the device may have malfunctioned after its triggering mechanism was disturbed during transport, but was capable of causing extensive damage had it detonated.

Pol Lt Gen Piyawat said the motorcycle-sidecar appeared to be a booby trap, intended to be remotely detonated after security personnel were lured to the scene. 

“EOD personnel have disabled part of the triggering system and are continuing inspections to ensure the area is safe,” he said.

Security personnel remained at the scene on Sunday morning to assess damage and gather forensic evidence.

Global House department store (Photo supplied)