There was an armed attack in a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. According to a statement from the director of a hospital in the city, quoted by Bangkok Postthree people were killed, and 4 were injured.
The person suspected of carrying out the attack was arrested, and at the moment it does not appear that he had any accomplices. The Thai authorities have confirmed that the arrested person is a 14 year old boy. The arrest took place on the third floor of a hotel not far from the shopping centre, and the boy apparently voluntarily put down his weapon before allowing himself to be arrested by the police.
Videos have circulated on social media showing many people fleeing the shopping mall, which is called Siam Paragon, is located in the center of Bangkok and is one of the busiest shopping centers in Thailand. A nearby metro station was closed. Many people remained hidden in the shopping center for the duration of the attack: about an hour passed from the time the first shots were heard to the arrest.
BREAKING: Tragic incident has occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, where at least three individuals have lost their lives, and two others have been injured in a shooting at Siam Paragon shopping mall. pic.twitter.com/xwReaRxZiH
— Insider Corner (@insiderscorner) October 3, 2023
Thailand’s prime minister said he had been briefed on the situation, and Thailand’s police chief went to the site of the attack.
In Thailand, gun ownership is quite widespread, but mass shootings are considered relatively rare: on 7 October 2022 a former policeman killed 37 people, including many children, in a kindergarten, and in 2020 an army officer killed 29 people in a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, in the north east of the country.
#Paragon Now, there are reports of gunshots being heard. Recently, I heard the sound of panic at #Siam pic.twitter.com/tyLaADBA2c
— Chuek Chotchuay (@Chuek_Chot) October 3, 2023