Frenchman on Interpol red notice arrested in Phuket
2026-03-13 - 04:04
PHUKET — 12 March 2026, Thai immigration police have arrested a French national in Phuket who was wanted on an Interpol red notice for attempted murder in France, authorities said. The arrest followed a crackdown ordered by senior immigration officials aimed at targeting foreign nationals hiding in Thailand while fleeing criminal cases abroad, as well as groups entering the country to commit transnational crimes. Police said the French Embassy in Thailand coordinated with the Royal Thai Police’s Foreign Affairs Division to request assistance in locating, arresting and deporting the suspect, believed to have been hiding in Phuket province. Immigration officers from Phuket located and detained the suspect, identified as Faisal, a 46-year-old French national, at a house in Rawai subdistrict in Muang district of Phuket. According to authorities, the French Embassy requested cooperation after the man was identified as the subject of a French arrest warrant and an Interpol red notice on a charge of attempted murder with a weapon. Police said the case stems from an incident in France in which a dispute escalated into gunfire, leaving another person injured. Faisal is suspected of being the gunman. Investigators later determined that he had fled France and travelled to Thailand. Immigration officials subsequently sought approval to revoke his permission to stay in the kingdom under the Immigration Act, citing the foreign arrest warrant issued against him. After the revocation was approved, officers tracked him to a residence in Rawai and moved in to make the arrest. Authorities said the suspect admitted his identity and confirmed that he was the person named in the warrant. Records show he last entered Thailand on 23 January 2026 under a visa-exemption scheme, with permission to stay until 23 March 2026. He was taken to Phuket Immigration for formal notification of the visa revocation through an interpreter and is being held for further legal proceedings and deportation.