A THAI soldier has killed 20 people and injured many more in a gun rampage in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, known as Korat.
The camo-wearing killer, whose motives remain unclear, livestreamed his attack on social media.
The suspect was named by defence officials as Sub. Lt. Jakrapanth Thomma of the Thai army.
Thomma, a junior officer, sprayed bullets at his military commander, fellow soldiers and civilians before taking several people hostage in a Thailand shopping mall.
Authorities say they received reports of the shooting at around 3pm local time.
It is understood the suspect first gunned down his commander and two others inside a military base before fleeing in a stolen Humvee with gun and ammo.
The suspect then fired at civilians along the route to Terminal 21 shopping mall in Muang district of Korat, 155 miles north-east of Bangkok.
Terrifying CCTV showed the gunman walking calmly through the mall in the middle of the attack.
Video taken outside the shopping centre and shared on social media show people taking cover in a car park as gunshots were fired.
Dozens of people were seen running from the building, fleeing in groups.
Some carried children, while others supported elderly people, carrying them with one person on each side.
He also opened fire at a Buddhist temple.
Earlier in the day he posted on his Facebook page that: “Death is inevitable for everyone.”
At one point after the shooting had begun, he wrote: “Should I give up?”
He also uploaded a picture of what looked like him holding a gun, and in a later post, he wrote: “I have stopped already.”
Facebook said in a statement on Saturday that it had removed the account, saying: “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand.”
They added: “There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack,” a representative said in a statement.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has expressed condolences to the families of those killed.
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