BANGKOK • The Thai police say they have arrested a suspect linked to Muslim separatists in connection with a wave of bombings in tourist towns last month that killed four people and wounded dozens, including foreigners.

The police had issued several warrants in connection with the blasts, but the suspect detained last Saturday, identified as Abdul Kadae, was the first person to be arrested. "The suspect is currently in military custody where he is being interrogated," said police deputy spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen.

The police said Kadae was from Pattani, one of the three troubled, Muslim-majority provinces in the far south, and he had connections to separatists. They said he was suspected of arson in Trang province as part of the wave of attacks last month. He can be held in military custody for up to seven days before he is allowed access to a lawyer.

The bombs and arson attacks in various towns, including Hua Hin, Surat Thani and on Phuket island, raised fears that a Muslim separatist insurgency, for years largely confined to the south, was spreading.

REUTERS