A one-kilogramme bomb has been found in front of the Constitution Court's old premises, but it failed to explode and was defused before it could do any harm.
The device was discovered yesterday two hours after it was supposed to detonate, based on its timer. Police say a technical problem prevented it from going off.
A security guard at the Constitution Court found the bomb at noon placed behind a telephone exchange cabinet near the gate of the court on Chakkraphet Road in Phra Nakhon district. The bomb squad disabled the device with water jets.
Police said the explosive was made up of a plastic pipe,30 centimetres long and 10cm wide, packed with a kilogramme of ammonium nitrate and gunpowder.
It also contained nails and bolts, which would turn into shrapnel when the device exploded.
The bomb was wired to an alarm clock and set to go off at 9.50am.
Constitution Court judges have moved to the court's new building on Chang Wattana Road.
Only some administrative staff remain at the old building.
A bomb squad officer said the bomb circuit was complete and the device could have gone off, but a technical problem prevented it from exploding.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Amnuay Nimmano said the bomber might have intended to scare people rather than cause harm.
A source said the bomb might have been left there for political reasons. Cases before the court include a bid to disqualify 16 senators and 28 MPs for holding shares in breach of the law.
Meanwhile, the Constitution Court reached a unanimous decision yesterday to reject a request by the opposition to declare the 2010 Budget Act unconstitutional.
MPs including Puea Thai Party MP for Chiang Mai Surapong Towijakchaikul filed a complaint with the court early last month saying the Budget Act might be unconstitutional because it did not provide detail on how the money would be spent, which affected the budget scrutiny process in parliament.
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