Suspected bombers seen on CCTV as hungry bomb dogs win hearts

At left, bomb squad doggos sniff a ‘suspicious package.’ Photo: Chandpath Mickey Timsootheepant / Facebook. At right, Robbo, the gold Labrador Retriever. Photo: Street Hero Project / Facebook

By Coconuts Bangkok

Aug 6, 2019 | 12:20pm Bangkok time

Police brass were tight-lipped today about reports two more suspects have been identified in connection with the bombings that recently rattled Bangkok while some furry unsung heroes are getting their moment.

Two officers refused to confirm media reports that two men have been tied to Friday’s explosions at the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex, one of five sites to be targeted by bombs, were to be named in arrest warrants. (Keep reading to get to the cute dogs)

“I cannot confirm that,” regional police head Suwat Changyodsuk said, adding that the public should await official announcements from the Royal Thai Police. As of late Monday morning, he said a news conference had yet to be scheduled.

His name was cited in reports that two suspects believed to be in their 20s were caught on camera outside the government offices (The dog bit is coming, we swear).

The first man – seen wearing a white shirt and brown pants – is suspected of planting two bombs in a garden at the main building, which houses many agencies, from the Immigration Bureau and Election Commission to the Technology Crime Suppression Division and tech ministry. The second suspect – seen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and grey pants – allegedly planted two more bombs in front of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, only about 200 meters away. Both men wore common face masks.

Update: Southern insurgency behind attacks on Bangkok: Prawit

The authorities said Friday, hours after blasts ripped through five locations throughout the capital, that two men had been arrested the night before for planting a suspicious device outside police headquarters the night before, in a likely related incident.

(Okay, it’s puppy time) Meanwhile, a pair of the kingdom’s four-legged bomb techs have gone internet-famous. In images shared gleefully online, a pair assigned to sniff out trouble on the BTS Skytrain couldn’t contain their enthusiasm for one passenger’s bag of shredded pork snacks.

Image may contain: dog — Image: Chandpath Mickey Timsootheepant / Facebook

The two buddy cops – black and gold Labrador Retrievers, both about 1 – are named Ben and Robbo, according to an interview with their handler.

Their human colleagues explained that the diligent doggos work eight hours a day and were likely famished by the time they boarded the skytrain.

“They were so tired after a long day of work, and the floor of the BTS is cold so he decided to sleep on it. That’s when he smelled the pork and moved toward it,” an EOD officer identified only as James recounted of the viral photos.

Since then, the K-9 duo has been dubbed “Team Shredded Pork” by netizens.