On Saturday, authorities announced that they had arrested three men who were responsible for the series of small explosive devices that had gone off across the city last week.
On November 17, two devices exploded at Ocean Supercenter. Three days later, four small explosions went off inside Capital Hypermarket. Last Thursday, four more explosions hit the South Dagon township immigration office.
Reports say that in all three cases, the explosions were caused by M-150 energy drink containers filled with chemicals.
There were no casualties in any of the incidents. However, residents of Yangon had become fearful of going out to large public places, especially shopping malls.
The men were arrested on Friday in Thingangyun township after police questioned a woman who had been onsite at the Ocean and Capital explosions. The woman was not taken into custody.
“The three suspects have already been arrested with a bomb-making kit. They are Muslims,” a policeman told AFP, adding that they “admitted they made the other explosives.”
The suspects’ religion has sowed suspicion among authorities that they have ties to militant groups in Rakhine State, though these suspicions have not been substantiated.
Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay posted images of a homemade bomb-making kit that he said one of the suspects had thrown away in the compound of a mosque close to where they were arrested. However, he has declined to provide any further details to media, instead saying that this is an ongoing investigation.
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