Break Through Security And Rampage At The Airport, This Man Was Arrested And Could Face The Death Penalty

JAKARTA - A man has been detained by police after being suspected of going on a rampage while carrying a gun at the airport, causing him to face multiple charges, one of which could qualify for the death penalty.

The man, identified as Watchara Khambut, 34, faces seven charges over the incident that occurred at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand on May 3.

According to the general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kittipong Kitikachon, Khambut arrived at the airport on a motorbike at 11:50 am and was trying to get through a security checkpoint. When he was denied entry, he allegedly turned around, entered the airport the other way, and pulled out a gun.

The accused is said to have climbed the stairs to an airport building, where security guards said they saw him trying to shatter the glass door, which was the only separation between him and the airport passenger section, Kitikachon said.

Meanwhile, Police Colonel Jirawat Piampinseth told a press conference that Khambut, who is from Loei Province in northeastern Thailand, was charged with crimes including property damage, inciting panic, and threatening to harm people.

According to Piampinseth, Khambut carried an ax but the gun turned out to be a fake. Police said Khambut was under the influence of drugs and a pill known as Yaba, a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, was in his body when he was arrested.

Thai police told CNN as quoted on May 8 that one of the charges was based on Section 19 of Thailand's Act on Certain Offenses Against Air Navigation, which carries the death penalty.

"The maximum sentence could be the death penalty, but there are other judicial steps to decide whether the man should receive such a sentence," Piampinseth told CNN.

The motivation behind the alleged incident is unknown, police said. "The defendant said he didn't even know how he ended up at the airport," Piampinseth said.