Social Media Notoriety Leads to Germans Arrest in Thailand

BANGKOK – Thailand’s immigration police have arrested a 34 year-old German man wanted on an Interpol Red Warrant thanks to the help of social media and the German embassy.

Acting Iimmigration chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang told Thai media yesterday that German national Maximilian Fernsebner, 34, was arrested after they ran a routine check through the German embassy, discovering he was wanted on an Interpol red notice.

He said Maximilian had entered Thailand in 2017 prior to the notice being issued for charges related to drug trafficking, robbery and child pornography.

Maximilian Fernsebner, became an Internet sensation in Thailand when pictures of him helping his Thai wife sell barbecue chicken in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima were circulated online in May.

“The news led us to check his immigration record and we found that he entered Thailand illegally because the last record was when he left Thailand for Laos in October 2017,” said Pol Lt Gen Sompong.

“Upon further inspection, we also found that the man is wanted by the German authorities. We didn’t know about his crimes at first because the (Interpol) notice was issued after he fled to Thailand,” he added.

According to the Bangkok Post when Police were sent to arrest him at his home in Ban Pong Prathun village in tambon Pak Chong, but he fled into a nearby forest, where he hid out for two days, the immigration chief said.

Before his surrender, police had been contacted by the embassy and advised the suspect had phoned his mother in Germany and said he would turn himself in if an embassy official was present.

Fernsebner was charged with illegal entry and fined 6,000 baht (S$266) and was expected to be extradited back to Germany within a week.

Source: DPA, Bangkok Post