Thai Woman 'Suspect' in Turkey, Denies Link to Bangkok Bomb

A Thai woman identified Monday by police as a suspect in the Bangkok bombing denied any knowledge of the attack to AFP, adding she was "shocked" to be linked with the crime and has been in Turkey for the last three months.

A photo of Wanna Suansan, 26, was shown on Thai television Monday afternoon, as authorities issued their first arrest warrant with a named suspect over a blast that killed 20 people at a shrine in the capital a fortnight ago.

Police said she had rented an apartment in Minburi, a suburb on the northeastern outskirts of Bangkok, where bomb making materials had allegedly been found.

AFP tracked down the number for Wanna and a woman answering that name took the phone call late Monday, saying she was living in the town of Kayseri in Turkey with her husband whose nationality she did not state.

However, AFP could not further confirm her identity. 

Wanna, a Thai-speaking Muslim from southern Phang Nga province, said she was horrified when friends in Thailand told her that a photograph from her identity card had been circulated to the Thai public.

"I was very shocked and thought my friend was joking with me," she said.

"I have not been to that apartment for almost one year now... I rented it and then my husband's friend stayed. I don't know how many people stayed there."

"I have been here (Turkey) for around three months," she said, adding Thai police had called her on Monday and asked her "not to worry" and to stay in contact with them.

When AFP called her back later she said she could not speak further since Thai police had warned her not to talk to the media.

Thai police late Monday refused to confirm whether they believed Wanna was in Turkey.

A sketch of a moustachioed male suspect, who police describe as an unidentified foreigner, was also shown during the Thai junta television broadcast. 

Police said he too is believed to have rented the flat.

Wanna said she did not recognize the man in the sketch.

The release of Wanna's name and photograph appeared to point to police narrowing down the hunt for the those behind the shrine bomb.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast and Wanna's denial further clouds an already murky picture of the unprecedented attack on Thailand.

Police arrested a thin man with stubble on Saturday found with bomb-making equipment in a separate apartment, but have not publicly identified him.

The man was also found with a stack of fake Turkish passports. That arrest led them to the apartment rented by Wanna.