An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand after he was allegedly caught with a firearm and 96 rounds of ammunition in his bag at an airport.
Immigration Police in the Surat Thani Province reported on Thursday that a Sydney man, identified by authorities as Mark Bassal, 41, was arrested at the Samui Airport on Koh Samui at around 1pm.
In a now-deleted post, police alleged the weapon was found disassembled in the luggage of Bassal.
Its alleged the 96 rounds of ammunition was discovered in seven different bags belonging to him.
Australian man Mark Bassal, 41, has been arrested at Samui airport after a disassembled firearm and ammunition was allegedly found in his luggage (pictured, Surat Thani Immigration Police)
Local media reports quoted Surat Thani Immigration superintendent Pol Col Suparuek Phankosol saying Bassal was travelling with his family on the island.
Bassal, his wife and three children, were reportedly trying to board a plane from Ko Samui Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bankok when an x-ray security screening of their luggage allegedly revealed the weapon parts.
Immigration police were called immediately and Bassal was arrested. He was taken to a nearby police station for questioning.
He told officers he had purchased the weapon from a shop in Ko Samui and believed it was legal to own in Thailand.
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Police allege he had bought the firearm for ‘self-defence when travelling abroad’.
The Bangkok Post reports Bassal’s family had airline tickets to fly to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi airport and were intending to return to Sydney via Singapore.
The Bangkok Post reports Bassal, his wife and three children, had airline tickets to fly to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi airport and were intending to return to Sydney via Singapore before the gun parts were allegedly discovered
Bassal told police he had bought the gun from a shop in Ko Samui and believed it was legal to own in Thailand (pictured, Bassal’s luggage)
The Sydney man has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and given bail to face court at a later date.
Ko Samui is Thailand’s second largest island and a popular tourist destination off the country’s east coast.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was contacted for comment.
