This was the fourth time Duc has been brought to court after he was extradited to Thailand from the US in December 2006 on the request of the Thai agencies.

In the previous proceedings, Duc and his lawyer Worasit Piriyawiboon gave evidence saying Duc could not be brought to court for the second time in Thailand as he had faced trial on similar charges in the US. Duc insisted that he was acquitted of the charge during a trial in the US six years ago.

However, the Thai court turned down their arguments, saying Duc committed the crime in Thailand and he must be tried in that country, without taking into consideration the results of the trial in the US.

Six years ago, Duc and Phan Nguyen Thanh Hien Si bought two cell phones at the Ma Bunkrong trade centre in Bangkok and planned to use them to activate a bomb planted in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok. But their plot was uncovered by a security guard of the US Embassy opposite to the Vietnamese Embassy. Luckily, the bomb did not explode. Hien Si was arrested immediately and has been jailed until now. Duc fled to the US for shelter, but he was extradited to Bangkok for trial in December 2006 because of the request from Thailand.