Teen nabbed after 2-hour siege in Thailand

International

An 18-YEAR-OLD gunman was taken into custody following a two-hour police standoff at a school in southern Thailand on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The incident at Phatong Prathan Keeriwat School left at least two people with gunshot wounds and caused widespread panic.

The violence began shortly before 5 p.m. when the suspect entered the school building and opened fire, a report by BBC said.

Among those wounded was the school principal and a female student. Another student suffered injuries after jumping from the building in a desperate attempt to escape.

As the shooting unfolded, a number of students and teachers were trapped inside the building while police units moved in to surround the campus.

Following a tense two-hour standoff, authorities confirmed that the suspect surrendered peacefully. Ambulances were seen leaving the scene with the injured shortly after the siege ended.

While a formal motive has not been released, local media reports suggest the suspect may have had a personal grievance with a teacher at the school. This latest attack adds to a growing list of high-profile shootings in Thailand, where both legal and illegal gun ownership is common.

The country has struggled with several mass casualty events in recent years, including a 2022 nursery attack that killed 36 people and a 2023 shooting at a luxury mall in Bangkok.(Jhon Mark A. Aboabo, USJR Comm Intern)