Authorities are still searching for nine Hezbollah-linked suspects in Thailand on Sunday, just days after two suspects in a planned terror attack against Israelis were arrested in Bangkok.
While Thailand’s Jewish leaders reassured the public not to panic following the arrests, and stressed that threats are ‘business as usual’ in Bangkok, Israeli authorities are taking the arrests seriously, according to a report.
Israeli officials have asked local police in Bangkok to raise security in popular tourist spots, according to the Bangkok Post, until the Passover holiday ends on Tuesday.
The Post reported late Saturday that the Chief of Police has received an urgent letter from Israel asking to increase police patrols in Bangkok’s most popular backpacking spots in light of the hundreds of Israelis visiting over the holiday.
On Friday, Thailand arrested French-Lebanese Daoud Farhat and Lebanese-Filipino national Youssef Ayad after they were exposed by counter-terror website Stop910 as being part of a Hezbollah cell in Thailand.
During an interrogation Farhat and Ayad admitted to planning terror attacks at six tourist spots in Bangkok against Israelis; the two were deported back to the countries from which they had enter Thailand, according to police, who declined to give further details.