Police issue sketch of man sought for Bangkok bombing

This image released by the Royal Thai Police shows a detailed sketch of the main suspect in a bombing that killed a number of people at the Erawan shrine in downtown Bangkok. Photo / AP

Police in Thailand broadened their hunt for the suspected Bangkok bomber, issuing a police sketch of the man sought in a huge manhunt and suggested he was part of a wider network.

The police drawing offered the clearest image of the suspect - previously identified through grainy close-ups taken from surveillance camera video shortly before the attack in the heart of Bangkok's tourist and shopping district that left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured.

The sketch showed a young man in glasses with bushy, dark hair that is cut shorter on the sides. The picture was also partly based on a description provided by a motorcycle taxi driver, who believed he gave the suspect a ride on the night of the blast.

Police said the suspect's possible background was unclear. The arrest warrant described him as a "foreign man," but the police spokesman, Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri, said the suspect could be of "mixed origin."

Authorities also left open the theory he disguised his appearance before the bombing and admitted he might just be a local using a "fake nose" as a disguise.

Meanwhile, the police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, indicated that the probe was looking for links to other plotters.

A soldier walks at Rajprasong Intersection in front of the Erawan Shrine. Photo / AP

"He didn't do it alone, for sure. It's a network," Somyot said.

Officials offered few details. The police spokesman Prawut said the security footage appeared to show two possible accomplices.

Thai rescue workers carry an injured person after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok. Photo / Getty Images

Thai authorities have claimed the bombing was an attempt to strike a blow against Thailand's vital tourism industry.

No group has claimed responsibility, but Thailand has multiple flash points including deep political rivalries and a Muslim insurgency that has waged sporadic attacks in the past in Thailand's southern regions.

Security footage shows the moment of an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand. Photo / AP

Last week, Thailand's military-backed government imposed tighter rules on public gatherings, including bans on blocking public sites such as airports - a tactic used in previous political demonstrations.

Thai police offered a reward equivalent to $28,000 for tips that would lead to the suspect's arrest.