A photo of Wanna Suansan, 26, was shown on Thai television today afternoon, as authorities issued their first arrest warrant with a named suspect over a blast that killed 20 people at a shrine in the capital a fortnight ago.
Police said she had rented an apartment in Minburi, a suburb on the northeastern outskirts of Bangkok, where bomb making materials had allegedly been found.
However, AFP could not further confirm her identity.
Wanna, a Thai-speaking Muslim from southern Phang Nga province, said she was horrified when friends in Thailand told her that a photograph from her identity card had been circulated to the Thai public.
More From This Section
"I was very shocked and thought my friend was joking with me," she said.
"I have not been to that apartment for almost one year now... I rented it and then my husband's friend stayed. I don't know how many people stayed there."
When AFP called her back later she said she could not speak further since Thai police had warned her not to talk to the media.
Thai police late today refused to confirm whether they believed Wanna was in Turkey.
A sketch of a moustachioed male suspect, who police describe as an unidentified foreigner, was also shown during the Thai junta television broadcast.
Police said he too is believed to have rented the flat.
The release of Wanna's name and photograph appeared to point to police narrowing down the hunt for the those behind the shrine bomb.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast and Wanna's denial further clouds an already murky picture of the unprecedented attack on Thailand.
Police arrested a thin man with stubble on Saturday found with bomb-making equipment in a separate apartment, but have not publicly identified him.