A 31-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly posting several messages on Facebook pretending to be a young man planning a shooting rampage at three shopping centres.
The woman, identified by police only as Bang-on, was arrested at her home in Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday.
Police said the woman had four Facebook accounts and had a police record for theft and firearms offences.
Police quoted Ms Bang-on as saying she posted hoax messages because she was stressed. She was jobless and had issues with her husband’s relatives.
Ms Bang-on allegedly posted several messages on a Facebook page covering news in the northeastern province on Sunday, pretending to be a young man planning to shoot people at three shopping centres. Pictures of a teenage boy, a gun and ammunition were used in the posts.
The threat frightened local people and prompted police to step up security at local malls.
Police said they found evidence linking the threatening messages to the suspect’s mobile phone.
Nakhon Ratchasima was the scene of a shooting rampage in which 30 people were killed in 2020.
