Thai police say Bangkok shrine bombing has been solved, give themselves cash reward money

During a news conference on Monday, Thai police said they have a motive for the deadly bombing at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok in August: Human trafficking.

Police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said authorities had "destroyed" a human trafficking network, and the bombing was revenge for that — not for Thailand sending Muslim Uighur people back to China in July, Reuters reports. For the second time in a month, Somyot showed off thick bundles of money totaling 3 million bhat, or $83,000, that he said is a reward for police investigators.

Authorities said Friday that a man arrested in August, referred to as both Bilal Mohammed and Adem Karadag, was the man spotted in surveillance footage from the shrine wearing a yellow shirt, and that he has confessed to his role in the bombing. Another man was arrested used a cell phone to trigger the bomb, police say. The investigation has been inconsistent, though: Previously, authorities said it was unlikely that either one of the men was the bomber, Reuters reports.

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