A Thai soldier has gone on a gun rampage inside a shopping mall, killing at least 20 people and taking a dozen hostages while live-streaming the mass murder on Facebook and posing for selfies.
Sergeant Major Jakrapanth Thomma, 32, began his murderous rampage this afternoon at his barracks, where he executed his commanding officer along with two other soldiers, before commandeering a humvee and tearing away from the scene.
As he drove along the motorway toward the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Korat, a city 155 miles northeast of Bangkok, Thomma opened fire on civilians along the road.
Reports say the frenzied soldier also sprayed bullets at a Buddhist temple en route to the mall, where he is now thought to be holed up with hostages as police close in.
The gunman posted photos of himself online dressed in full tactical gear and holding a rifle which he smuggled from the army compound’s arsenal.
Thomma also wrote several posts on his Facebook page including ‘should I surrender’ and ‘no one can escape death’.
In one Facebook video – since deleted – the assailant filmed from an open jeep saying, ‘I’m tired… I can’t pull my finger anymore’ and making a trigger symbol with his hand.
Thomma also posted a picture of a revolver with the caption: ‘It is time to get excited.’
A picture shows Jakrapanth Thomma, who is the alleged attacker, in front of an explosion at the mall today
Coffee shop staff hide in the shop as gunman Jakapanth Thomma goes on a shooting spree in Thailand today
Chilling CCTV show a gunman walking through a mall after killing at least 12 people the taking hostages in Thailand tonight
People are evacuated from a shopping mall by members of security forces after a shooting rampage in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand today (left and right). Noppadol Sirijanya, a member of the Sawang Metta Tham Rescue Center in Nakhon Ratchasima, said a rescue team had successfully evacuated more than 100 people from the mall. The shooter is still thought to be in the area
The shooter remained close to the shopping mall and had not yet been apprehended, the police said.
Local media showed footage of the soldier getting out of a car in front of a shopping mall and firing a series of shots, sending people running. People fled while at least one fire roared and what appeared to be the sound of automatic gunfire filled the air.
At least 17 people were killed and 21 wounded in a shooting by a soldier in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said in a message sent to reporters
Local media reported the gunman seized weapons from the army arsenal before embarking on the shooting spree in the centre of the town.
It also was not clear whether the gunman had taken hostages inside the mall or how many people might still be inside.
Noppadol Sirijanya, a member of the Sawang Metta Tham Rescue Center in Nakhon Ratchasima, said a rescue team had successfully evacuated more than 100 people from the mall, where they had been trapped for hours. The center is a voluntary emergency aid organization that helps during accidents and disasters.
The shooter appeared to be armed with an assault rifle, based on security camera video aired on Thai Rath television. Thai Rath said the incident began at about 3:30 p.m.
‘We don’t know why he did this. It appears he went mad,’ said defence ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit.
Thomma posted pictures of himself armed in full tactical gear during the rampage in Thailand today
Thomma posted a picture of this gun on his Facebook as he tore through the city of Korat in northeastern Thailand, shooting civilians, members of the armed forces, and police todday
This handout released by the Thai Royal Police’s Crime Suppression Department on their Facebook page on February 8, 2020 shows a wanted poster for Jakapanth Thomma, a Thai soldier wanted in connection to a deadly attack in the northeastern city Korat
Local police, contrary to other reports, said the shooter had initially gone to a house in the city and shot two people dead. They said he then took a new gun from the weapons store on his army base to kill his commanding officer and colleagues.
One video from a bystander showed a man slumped at the wheel of a car in a pool of blood. It was unclear if he was among the dead.
A woman interviewed by Thailand’s Channel One television said she had heard gunshots when she was at the shopping mall and hid in a clothing store with other people before escaping.
The man who was identified by police as the suspect had posted on his Facebook page earlier in the day that ‘Death is inevitable for everyone.’
He also posted a picture of what appeared to be him holding a gun.
This screenshot made on February 8, 2020 from the Facebook page of Jakrapanth Thomma, a Thai soldier wanted in connection to a deadly attack in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, shows him holding a gun at an unknown location
Thai soldiers are pictured preparing (left) and entering (right) the shopping centre, where the gunman is still at large today in Korat
Thomma has been streaming the onslaught on Facebook Live. At 19.20pm (1220GMT), he wrote ‘So tired’, with a picture of him holding a rifle. He took the stream down shortly after
Thomma is pictured in fully army camo in a picture posted to his Facebook earlier today
‘The gunman used a machine gun and shot innocent victims resulting in many injured and dead,’ a police spokesperson said earlier this afternoon.
One officer said the soldier had been involved in an argument about a land deal and shot two people who were involved, another soldier and a woman.
The man then took a gun from the base where he is stationed outside the city and drove to the mall, shooting at people along the way.
The mall was shut down and the street outside was closed while authorities attempted to arrest the gunman.
Facebook, where the livestream first appeared, sent its condolences to the victims and their families and said there was no place on Facebook for anyone who commits or supports such atrocities.
‘We have removed the gunman’s accounts from our services and will work around the clock to remove any violating content related to this attack as soon as we become aware of it,’ it said.
Hashtags #KoratShootingRampage and #SaveKorat were trending on social media in Thailand.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul asked on his Facebook page for blood donations at four hospitals in the vicinity of Korat.
Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong issued an order for local army commanders to rush to the scene and investigate.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha expressed condolences to the families of those killed, a government spokeswoman said.
Thai army Sergeant Major Thomma can be seen in an earlier picture
Terminal 21 Korat is part of a small chain of Thai shopping centers run by Bangkok-based property developer LH Mall & Hotel Co. The malls feature floors modeled after major cities around the world.
The size of the mall could pose a challenge for security forces as they try to capture the gunman. It consists of seven main retail floors, including one below ground level, and scores of shops and restaurants. It also houses a movie theater on the top floor.
Many malls in Thailand, including Terminal 21’s namesake in Bangkok, have metal detectors and security cameras at entrances manned by uniformed but unarmed security guards. Checks on those entering are often cursory at best.
Gun violence is not unheard of in Thailand. Firearms can be obtained legally, and many Thais own guns. Mass shootings are rare, though there are occasional gun battles in the far south of the country, where authorities have for years battled a long-running separatist insurgency.
Several shootings at courthouses late last year also renewed concern about gun violence in the Southeast Asia country.
In one high-profile case, two lawyers were shot dead by a clerk at a court in the east of the country during a hearing over a land dispute.
Nakhon Ratchasima, commonly known as Korat, is one of the biggest cities in northeastern Thailand, a rice growing area and one of the poorest regions in the country of 69 million.
Police and bystanders stand near the scene of a shooting at the Terminal 21 mall, in Korat, Thailand today
Videos from the scene show members of the public running frantically after the gunman opened fire in the northeastern city of Korat earlier today
Police swoop on a shopping mall in Thailand as a gunman kills at least 12 and holds 16 hostages
Pictured is an explosion at the shopping mall in Thailand today where a gunman went on a shooting spree leaving at least 12 dead