Two Uyghur Men Receive Death Sentences for 2015 Bangkok Attack

WHO:

ABC News - Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad, two Uyghur men from China’s Muslim Uyghur minority.

CNN - The court statement identified the two defendants as ethnic Uyghur men from the Xinjiang region of China.

ABC News - Lin Jian, spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

WHAT:

ABC News - A Thai court sentenced Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad to death for their involvement in a bombing at Bangkok's Erawan shrine.

ABC News - The bombing killed 20 people and injured more than 120.

CNN - The court ruled that the actions of both defendants constituted multiple separate offenses, including premeditated murder.

ABC News - The two men were charged with murder, attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosive materials.

ABC News - The trial began in 2016 and was transferred to the civilian Bangkok South Criminal Court in 2019.

ABC News - The two men allegedly confessed during initial questioning but pleaded not guilty during the trial.

WHERE:

ABC News - The bombing occurred at the Erawan shrine in Bangkok, Thailand.

CNN - The trial took place at Bangkok South Criminal Court.

WHEN:

ABC News - The bombing occurred on August 17, 2015.

ABC News - Charges against a Thai woman were dropped in 2024 due to lack of evidence.

CNN - The two defendants will appeal the sentence within a month.

WHY:

ABC News - The bombing was believed to be revenge by a people smuggling gang whose activities had been disrupted by Thai police.

ABC News - Some analysts suspect the bombing was an act of Uyghur separatists angry over the forced repatriation of Uyghurs to China in July 2015.

CNN - Security experts suggest the bombing was retaliation against the deportation of more than 100 Uyghurs from Thailand.

HOW:

ABC News - The two men were linked to the bombing by video, fingerprints, and other evidence.

ABC News - The trial faced delays due to difficulties in finding suitable translators for the defendants.

(UPDATED June 11, 2026 12:20 UTC)

A Thai court has sentenced Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad, two ethnic Uyghur men from China's Xinjiang region, to death for their involvement in a bombing at Bangkok's Erawan shrine that killed 20 people and injured over 120. The court found that their actions constituted multiple offenses, including premeditated murder, and both men were charged with murder, attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosive materials, although they initially confessed but later pleaded not guilty during the trial. The defendants are expected to appeal the sentence within a month, as the bombing is believed to have been an act of revenge by a people smuggling gang disrupted by Thai police, with some analysts suggesting it was also a response to the forced repatriation of Uyghurs to China.