Royal Thai Police Deputy Spokesman Pol Col Krissana Pattanacharoen announced the news in a release issued earlier today (June 6), assuring that police had not been complicit in their investigation of Ms Smirnova’s death.
The warrant will request the arrests of the three people who were staying with Ms Smirnova at the condo at the time of her death, Col Krissana said.
The notice named the three as Russian national Natalia Kosenkova, 35, US citizen Jamaal Antwaun Smith, 38, and Jordanian national Ahmad Radi Mustafa Alatoom, 28.
The three were taken into custody on a minor drugs possession charge on May 31, just hours after Ms Smirnova’s body was found on the ground behind The Emerald Terrace condo project on Phra Barami Rd in Patong.
Jordanian national Alatoom was taken into custody at Phuket airport while he was waiting to board a flight out of Thailand, police confirmed earlier.
The warrant is in order for police to press charges against all three, Col Krissana said in his release today.
Forensic investigators and an autopsy of Ms Smirnova’s body were important factors in the investigation, he said.
Regardless, Col Krissana noted that investigating officers “have not ruled out any issues of the case”.