Schools around the country receive fake bomb threats

More than 70 schools in Croatia were evacuated Thursday after receiving bomb threats. 

The police and explosives experts searched most of the schools by the late afternoon and, fortunately, found no bombs. Media outlets reported that schools in other EU countries had recently received similar messages, sent from the same e-mail address, which was reportedly traced to a server in Africa. They contained Islamist messages and threats of retaliation.

Speaking this afternoon, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said a criminal investigation was under way.

"Police officers were deployed immediately and so far they have ruled out any danger at 65 schools, that is the did not find anything. This is not happening just in Croatia. Similar threats have been sent in a number of EU countries in recent weeks, the most recent incident occurred ten days ago in Slovenia, when 220 schools received similar threats,” Božinović said.

The schools started receiving the emails overnight, first in Zagreb, and then throughout the rest of the country, said Education Minister Radovan Fuchs.

"Of course, local police were notified immediately and they acted promptly, arriving at the schools and conducting a search,” said Fuchs.

Just in Zagreb, 32 schools received the bomb threat. By afternoon, most schools had been searched and classes were able to resume.

Tihomir Englesfeld, the principal of one of the high schools that was targeted, said he was grateful everything went well and no one was hurt.

"Everything went very smoothly. The school was evacuated very quickly. There was no panic, no incidents. I'm very pleased with that and I am even more pleased that there was no real threat,” said Englesfeld.

Other schools around the country - in Čakovec, Pula, Split, Zadar, and Dubrovnik - were also evacuated. All of the threats were proven false.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented bomb threats at the beginning of today's cabinet meeting.

"All of the threats so far have been proven false, however, given the seriousness of the threats, all of our agencies and services will do everything they can to ensure that there is no danger. We are living in times when we are dealing with these types of threats just like many other countries and we hope it will end well,” said Plenković.

The threats have put parents on edge. Schools are trying to quell their concerns as the investigation continues.