Thu. Nov 7th, 2024
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Thai police say they have arrested a 14-year-old boy after three people were killed and at least three others wounded in a shooting at the Siam Paragon luxury shopping mall in Bangkok.

Emergency services shared an image of a police officer apprehending and handcuffing a person laying face down on the floor.

The Central Investigation Bureau had earlier posted a grainy image on its Facebook page of a person they said was the gunman, dressed in khaki cargo pants and a baseball cap.

Unverified videos on social media showed scenes of chaos, with people, including children, running out of the doors of the mall while security guards ushered them out.

One of the videos showed people taking cover in a darkened room inside a restaurant, while live television showed long queues of traffic outside the mall in torrential rain.

Three male police officers wearing armour running through a shopping centre past an ice cream shop.
Police officers secure the Siam Paragon shopping mall after the fatal shooting.(AFP: Jack Taylor)

“It happened in just a few minutes. We saw all the people run, run, run, we didn’t understand what was happening,” said 26-year-old Shir Yahav from Israel, who was at a designer store at the time of the shooting.

“We went with them and then we heard several shots, like six or seven shots. We blocked the door of the store.”

Chinese tourist Liu Shiying said she had seen people running and saying someone had opened fire.

She said she heard gunshots and an alarm ringing before the lights in the mall went out.

“We’re temporarily hiding. Who dares to go out?” she said while taking cover. She was later able to leave.

Gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand.

A former police officer killed more than 20 children in a nursery last year during a gun-and-knife attack, while in 2020 a soldier shot and killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations in and around the north-eastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

A crowd of people, mostly women - including one carrying a child - leaving a shopping centre in a hurried rush

People flee the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok on Tuesday.(AFP: Lillian Suwanrumpha)

Siam Paragon is Thailand’s most famous mall, drawing large numbers of people with its high-end stores, aquarium, movie theatre and hugely popular food court dining.

In 2013, it was named the world’s most photographed place by Instagram.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed concern over the incident.

“I am aware of the shooting event at Siam Paragon … I am most worried about public safety,” he posted on social media.

The mall said it had evacuated shoppers and staff immediately, stressing safety was of the utmost importance.

“Siam Paragon would like to express our deep apologies for the unexpected event,” it said in a statement.

“Authorities have been able to control the situation and arrest the culprit.”

Reuters/AP

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