According to Minister of the Interior Víto Rakušan (STAN), one of the investigative versions in connection with the threats to schools this week is the option that the attack is part of a hybrid action from Russia or another country. The minister told ČTK on Friday. Several hundred schools in the Czech Republic have received threatening e-mails every day since Tuesday, the police consider the severity of the threat to be very low. Schools in Slovakia face a similar problem.
“The intensity of the attack, the coordination, the fact that it is an international attack, the fact that it concerns a certain spectrum of countries, it certainly gives me the impression of a highly coordinated action,” said the Minister of the Interior.
According to him, the difference is also that when a school student threatens, for example, he is usually tracked down very quickly. “Here it turns out that even the process of exact tracing is significantly more difficult, so this indicates a relatively well-thought-out, sophisticated, coordinated approach,” he added.
Due to the threats, a working group was formed on Wednesday, in which representatives of the Ministries of Education, the Interior, the Police and the Commissioner for Human Rights are supposed to solve the current problems of schools and pupils. According to the Austrian, the group met for the first time on Wednesday, and on Thursday they were creating a manual for schools on how to behave in the situation. It was supposed to be sent out on Friday.
According to the Austrian, the manual describes how to communicate with the police, as well as instructions on how to talk to children about threats. “We are also trying to help the educational public how to talk to children about this so that fear does not take root in them,” he said.
The working group works online, if necessary, according to the Austrian, it would meet at the Ministry of the Interior. “Online works in real time, it shares information. New threats are being assessed,” he said. According to him, if it were found that the relevance of the threat is increasing, the group will come up with new procedures.
Threatening emails four days in a row
Table of Contents
- 1 Threatening emails four days in a row
- 2 What measures are being taken by authorities in Czechia and Slovakia in response to the mass bomb threats against schools?
- 3 Here are some People Also Ask (PAA) related questions for the title: **Threatening Emails to Hundreds of Czech and Slovak Schools: A Coordinated Attack?**
Table of Contents
We previously reported that on Friday, a threatening e-mail, similar to those from the past few days, arrived at several hundred schools throughout the Czech Republic. The police informed about it on the X network, where they also called on people not to publicly share the threats and not to spread them further.
“We do not consider the perpetrator’s threats to be relevant, and we see that his main motivation is public/media interest and sowing chaos. Let’s try together not to play this game today and not to publicly share and spread threats. Minimal public interest is exactly what the writer does not want,” the police wrote.
According to Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan (STAN), the police are working with a larger number of investigative versions in connection with threats to schools in recent days. He also exchanges knowledge with Slovak colleagues who have faced a similar problem.
1/2 Even today, a threatening email with the same characters as those from the previous days arrived at around 500 schools. Again, we prefer minimalist measures without ordered evacuations, and we will look for an individual and at the same time least invasive solution for site inspections with the schools.
— Police of the Czech Republic (@PolicieCZ) September 6, 2024
A wave of emails on Tuesday contained threats that schools had been mined, prompting an immediate response from security forces. Because of this, some schools in Prague ended classes earlier, others moved activities outside the school building.
On Wednesday, some schools received another email, this time with an explosion threat. Despite the fact that the police do not take the threats as relevant, they say that they are not underestimating the situation, which is unprecedented.
The Austrian described the events of the last few days as an obviously targeted attack and told the media that he considers it all the more insidious because it targets schools and at the same time is timed for the sensitive period of the beginning of the school year.
Mass Bomb Threats Target Hundreds of Schools in Czechia and Slovakia
In a worrying series of events, hundreds of schools in Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic) and Slovakia have been targeted by mass bomb threats, prompting an immediate response from security forces and raising concerns about a possible hybrid attack from Russia or another country.
According to Minister of the Interior Víto Rakušan, one of the investigative versions being explored is the possibility that the attack is part of a hybrid action from Russia or another country [[1]]. The minister told ČTK on Friday that several hundred schools in the Czech Republic have received threatening emails every day since Tuesday, with the police considering the severity of the threat to be very low. Schools in Slovakia are facing a similar problem [[2]].
The minister described the attack as “highly coordinated” and “sophisticated”, with the process of tracing the source of the threats being more difficult than usual [[1]]. This has led to the formation of a working group, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Education, the Interior, the Police, and the Commissioner for Human Rights, to address the current problems faced by schools and pupils.
The working group has created a manual for schools on how to behave in the situation, including instructions on how to communicate with the police and how to talk to children about threats without instilling fear in them [[1]]. The group works online and shares information in real-time, with the ability to meet at the Ministry of the Interior if necessary.
The police have called on the public not to share or spread the threats, as the perpetrator’s main motivation appears to be to garner public and media attention and sow chaos [[1]]. “We do not consider the perpetrator’s threats to be relevant, and we see that his main motivation is public/media interest and sowing chaos. Let’s try together not to play this game today and not to publicly share and spread threats. Minimal public interest is exactly what the writer does not want,” the police wrote on the X network.
The situation has been ongoing for four days, with threatening emails arriving at hundreds of schools every day. The police have stated that they are working with a larger number of investigative versions in connection with the threats and are exchanging knowledge with Slovak colleagues who have faced a similar problem [[1]].
The Czech Schoolchildren Targeted, Russia Suspected, and the police have been working to minimize disruptions to school activities, with some schools in Prague ending classes earlier and others moving activities outside the school building [[3]].
In the midst of this crisis, the Police of the Czech Republic have been providing regular updates, including a tweet stating that even today, a threatening email with the same characters as those from the previous days arrived at around 500 schools, and that they prefer minimalist measures without ordered evacuations, and will look for an individual and at the same time least invasive solution for site inspections with the schools [[1]].
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether the threats will be traced back to Russia or another country, and what measures will be taken to ensure the safety and security of schools and pupils in Czechia and Slovakia.
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Threatening Emails to Hundreds of Czech and Slovak Schools: A Coordinated Attack?
In a shocking turn of events, hundreds of schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have received threatening emails every day since Tuesday, sparking concerns about the safety of students and faculty. The police have been working to downplay the threats, considering them to be of low severity, but the sheer scale and coordination of the attacks have raised suspicions about the involvement of a foreign actor, such as Russia or another country.
A Highly Coordinated Attack
According to Minister of the Interior Víto Rakušan, the attack is characterized by its high level of coordination and sophistication, making it difficult to track down the perpetrators [1]. Rakušan stated that the intensity of the attack, its international scope, and the fact that it targets a specific spectrum of countries suggest a highly coordinated action. He also noted that the police are working with multiple investigative versions, including the possibility of a hybrid attack from Russia or another country [1].
Response from Authorities
In response to the threats, a working group was formed on Wednesday, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Education, the Interior, the Police, and the Commissioner for Human Rights. The group aims to address the current problems faced by schools and pupils and has been working online to share information and assess new threats [3]. On Thursday, the group developed a manual for schools on how to communicate with the police and talk to children about the threats, which was scheduled to be sent out on Friday [3].
Measures to Address the Threats
The police have been urging people not to publicly share the threats and not to spread them further, as this would only fuel the perpetrators’ desire for public/media attention and chaos [2]. They have also preferred minimalist measures without ordered evacuations, instead opting for individualized solutions for site inspections with schools [2].
International Cooperation
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have been exchanging knowledge and expertise to address the similar problems faced by schools in both countries. This cooperation is crucial in tackling the coordinated attack and ensuring the safety of students and faculty.
Conclusion
The wave of threatening emails to hundreds of Czech and Slovak schools is a concerning development that warrants a swift and collaborative response from authorities. As the investigation continues, it is essential to remain vigilant and to address the threats in a way that minimizes disruption to education and maximizes the safety of those involved.
