Thailand on high alert over fears of Iranian attack

Thailand’s national police force (RTP) recently issued an order to authorities nationwide to look out for a squad of Iranian spies believed to be in the region after one was arrested in Indonesia last year.

A police source told the Bangkok Post that security agencies are closely monitoring the movement of Iranian citizens and even some Thai Muslims who are suspected of working as spies.

The order cited an incident in May 2021 when Indonesian authorities detained an Iranian citizen suspected of being a part of a terrorist cell and who arrived with a forged Bulgarian passport.

This came a day after it was reported that Israel was considering issuing travel warnings for additional countries due to concerns that Iran may seek to attack traveling Israelis.

Last week, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) said the potential for Iranian plots to harm Israelis grew “after Israel was accused of the death of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) officer."

Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei was shot five times in his car by two gunmen in Tehran on May 22.

Although Israel did not claim any responsibility for the string of attacks on Iranian scientists and IRGC members, “Iran said loud and clear that Israel is behind them and will take revenge,” said i24NEWS defense correspondent Jonathan Regev.

“Revenge doesn’t necessarily mean an attack within Israel, but maybe targeting Israelis abroad,” he continued.

“Thailand would be a relatively comfortable place for Iranians to do that. Indonesia is nearby and Iranians can work there easily, and there are many Israelis in Thailand, it being a holiday hotspot.”