Narathiwat officials released footage showing the moment a bomber left a car bomb in front of the old Tan Yong Police Station. The suspect allowed the car to roll forward, then jumped out and ran to mount a motorcycle. The explosives included two linked homemade bombs weighing a total of 70 kilograms. The sedan used for the car bomb had a fake registration transferred from Nakhon Chai Si district, Nakhon Pathom province. Authorities raided the suspect’s home but the individual escaped.
On 22 July 2026, reporters provided an update on the car bomb attack in front of the old Tan Yong Police Station, located in Village No. 4, North Kalawoe Subdistrict, Mueang District, Narathiwat province, at 19:20 on the evening of 21 July 2026. Police Major General Piyawat Chalermsri, Commander of Region 9 Police, and Boonchuay Homyamyen, Governor of Narathiwat, jointly directed officials to inspect the scene, collect evidence, and review CCTV footage to track the suspects’ behavior throughout the night. They also ordered the cleanup and restoration of the area as quickly as possible.
It was found that the remains of the car bomb sedan were scattered into two main locations by the blast: near the fence wall of the Tan Yong Police Station sign along the main road, and on the right side of the old police station building, causing damage to the building and nearly all the windows. Additionally, a black Toyota four-door pickup truck, license plate KSA 1822 Nakhon Si Thammarat, belonging to Sergeant Major Apisit Anuchat, 38, head of the patrol unit at Tan Yong Police Station, parked about 10 to 15 meters from the bomb site on the left side of the building, was burned and damaged by shrapnel.
Further inspection revealed two homemade bombs concealed inside the car bomb sedan: one assembled inside a 20-kilogram picnic gas cylinder and another inside a 50-kilogram cooking gas cylinder, totaling approximately 70 kilograms. The bombs were believed to be linked and detonated by a remote control, which was confirmed to be operational. Officials are working diligently to find additional evidence.
Regarding the car bomb vehicle, it was identified as a Mitsubishi Lancer sedan, license plate POK 4927 Bangkok, with a fake registration. The registered owner lives in Nakhon Chai Si, Nakhon Pathom province. The registration had been transferred to a new owner in Narathiwat province for some time. Authorities have identified the individual involved but have not disclosed their identity. Officers conducted a search at the suspect’s wife’s home in Bang Po Subdistrict, Mueang District, Narathiwat, but the suspect was not found. Plans are underway to investigate the suspect’s original residence in Su-ngai Padi District later.
The incident also caused minor injuries to Sergeant Major Apisit Anuchat, head of the patrol unit at Tan Yong Police Station, who was on duty at the guard post during the explosion and was hit by shrapnel.
After the incident, Police Major General Piyawat Chalermsri ordered a review of all CCTV footage on roads leading to the old Tan Yong Police Station. It was found that two suspects were involved: one driving the car bomb sedan and the other riding a motorcycle following behind. They came from the roundabout near the North Kalawoe Subdistrict Administrative Organization office. At a three-way intersection, the sedan slowed to turn right. When the vehicle began to roll toward the target, the driver opened the door, jumped out, and ran to mount the motorcycle driven by the second suspect waiting behind. The bomber then remotely detonated the bomb just as he was mounting the motorcycle and fled along a route beside the police station, passing a mosque, heading toward Tak Bai District.
Similar bomb attacks in Narathiwat province have occurred three times previously: 1) on 29 September 2024 near the entrance to the Tak Bai District Chief's residence, 2) on 8 March 2025 at the office of the Su-ngai Kolok District in Narathiwat, and 3) on 20 August 2025 in front of the Sala Mai checkpoint base in Tak Bai District. These attacks caused damage to government facilities and aimed to instill fear among officials and the public.
The group responsible is believed to be an operational-level cell linked to one of the previous three incidents in Narathiwat province. Authorities are gathering evidence for forensic examination, including bomb fragments and car bomb debris, which may contain latent fingerprints and DNA left by the suspects.
On the morning following the attack, reporters visited the scene and found that cleanup crews had cleared the area and removed all debris. Black sunshade fabric was used to cover unsightly damage. Repair work was underway on the police station fence and wall damaged by the blast to restore the site to normal condition.