Top cop gunned down after mosque prayers in Pattani
A senior police officer was shot dead as he returned from prayers at a mosque in Pattani province yesterday, February 27, marking another deadly attack in Thailand’s troubled southern region.
The officer, 58 year old Police Lieutenant Muhammad Azan Jamae, Deputy Inspector of the 6th Investigation Division, Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, was ambushed outside his home in Ban Kalupe, Sai Buri district, just moments after leaving the mosque.
According to eyewitnesses, multiple assailants riding two motorcycles opened fire on the officer in front of house number 80, hitting him in a vital area. He collapsed on the spot, critically injured. Neighbours and fellow worshippers rushed him to Yupracha Sai Buri Hospital but despite efforts to save his life, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Police have launched an intensive investigation, collecting evidence from the crime scene and interviewing witnesses. The gunmen fled the scene immediately after the attack, leaving behind no clues about their identities or motives.
Initial reports suggest that the assassination may be linked to ongoing insurgency-related violence targeting government officials in Thailand’s southern border provinces. The region has been plagued by separatist violence for years, with law enforcement officers often targeted.
An unnamed investigator believes it was a calculated attack aimed at sending a message to the authorities.
“We are pursuing every lead to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The killing of Pol. Lt. Muhammad Azan has shocked the local community, with many expressing fear and outrage over the continuing violence in the region.
“He was a respected officer and a devout Muslim. No one deserves to be killed like this,” said a local who knew the victim.
Police have tightened security across the district and set up roadblocks in strategic locations to capture the attackers. Forensic teams are analysing bullet casings found at the scene, hoping to trace the weapons used in the assassination, reported KhaoSod.
Officers are considering multiple angles, including the possibility of the attack being linked to his role in environmental crime suppression, which may have made him a target for criminal elements. However, they are not ruling out political motives related to the ongoing conflict in the southern border provinces.
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