Ahama Lengha was described by his relative and friends as a good man known for his involvement in public works.

A military court issued the arrest warrant after DNA collected at the scene of the bombing matched his DNA in relation to a 2008 case.

In 2008, Ahama was wanted under an arrest warrant over his suspected involvement in acts of violence in the deep South.

He had refused to comply with several summons to report to authorities, an official said.

The officials refused to say how authorities had collected a sample of his DNA from 2008.

A resident of Tak Bai’s Tambon Koh Sathon, Ahama works at a fertiliser factory in Malaysia that is located 15 kilometres from his house and he returns home every weekend.

Days before the bomb attack in Phuket, Ahama had arranged to turn himself in under a plea-bargain deal over the 2008 case but disappeared after the new arrest warrant was issued, the official said.

Police put his arrest warrant into the police surveillance system and alerted all border checkpoints to be on the lookout for him.