Schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia faced bomb threats, leading to school closures, schedule changes, and urgent investigations.
According to Czech police, a threatening email was sent to schools across the country. Meanwhile, nearly 270 primary and secondary schools across Slovakia received bomb threats.
We are currently investigating a threatening email sent to hundreds of schools across the Czech Republic, in which the sender claims the institutions have been mined.
Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan stated:
The police are handling the situation in a way that ensures the safety of both students and teachers while causing as little disruption to the school operations as possible.
The Czech Republic remains on high alert for school security following the December 2023 school shooting in Prague that left 14 people dead and 25 injured. In response to the new threat, some schools in Prague closed or changed their normal schedules on Tuesday. Police explained that the email spread “to approximately 500 schools nationwide.”
In another incident on Tuesday, two children suffered injuries when a girl attacked her classmates with a knife at a secondary school in the Czech town of Domažlice.
Bomb threats in Slovakia
In Slovakia, bomb threats led to the interruption or cancellation of classes. Police were deployed early Tuesday morning to search several schools, but no bombs were found or hazardous materials were discovered.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok confirmed at a press conference Tuesday that police were actively investigating the threats. Police opened a criminal case and considered the bomb threats a terrorist attack, Rastislav Polakovič, vice-president of the Police Corps for Internal Order and Security, said.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini stated:
Such reports are increasing in a number of areas, causing growing concern, complications and real economic damage, and deserve severe punishment. I trust the police will deploy all their forces to ensure the perpetrators are found and deservedly punished as soon as possible.
Several political parties also reacted to the situation, with leading opposition party Progressive Slovakia calling on Prime Minister Robert Fico to convene a security council.
