Thailand arrests Australian after teen's body found in suitcase
Media reports said the 46-year-old suspect was apprehended at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was trying to purchase an airline ticket to Perth.
Thai police officers pose with Simon Peter, an Australian man arrested in the suspected murder of a 17-year-old Thai girl in Pattaya, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakan, Thailand on Jun 27, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Pattaya Provincial Police)
BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested an Australian man after the body of a 17-year-old girl was discovered in a suitcase, authorities said on Saturday (Jun 27).
The suspect, who denies involvement in the teenager's alleged abduction and murder, was taken into custody after an interrogation, a police official in the resort city of Pattaya told AFP.
Investigators were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination and "other evidence" in the case before filing charges, the official said.
The charges could include child abduction, murder, hiding a corpse and "abduction of a minor for sexual purposes", added the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
Media reports said the 46-year-old suspect was apprehended on Friday at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was trying to purchase an airline ticket to Perth.
CCTV footage showed the suspect entering a condo in the seaside resort of Pattaya in the early hours of Thursday, along with the 17-year-old Thai girl, according to the reports.
He emerged from the building several hours later, the reports said, carrying a large black suitcase which he then transported on the back of a motorbike.
Police found the suitcase on Friday near a railway track, discovering the victim's body inside it bearing signs of violence, local website Pattaya News reported.
Thailand drastically cut the length of visa-free stays for tourists last month following a series of high-profile arrests of foreigners over drug offences, sex trafficking and operating unlicensed businesses.
