Headmaster held over deadly Thai armed robbery

Paramedics helping a man wounded during the robbery in Lopburi province, Thailand. File photo: AFP

A headmaster was arrested on Wednesday as the key suspect in a shooting spree that shocked Thailand, police said, after a manhunt for the masked gunman who killed three people including a toddler in an armed robbery.



The teacher was hauled in by commandos to a police station in central Lopburi province, under the glare of TV cameras and with bystanders cheering the arrest.



The bloody crime on January 9 was caught on CCTV, showing an attacker storming a jewellery shop and shooting indiscriminately before fleeing with loot worth 500,000 baht (US$16,500).



A two-year-old boy was walking hand-in-hand with his mother when he was shot – an image that prompted Thais to call for swift justice.



National police chief Jakthip Chaijinda told reporters the man did not deny the crime and he was "confident" that police had caught the right person. (AFP)