Bomb Threats Sent to 349 Schools in Cyprus Linked to Russia: Investigation Update

On Tuesday, February 11, bomb threat emails were sent to 349 schools across Cyprus. The investigation has revealed that these threats are linked to Russia. Thankfully, no suspicious items were discovered in any of the schools.

In an interview on the Alpha Kalimera program, Andreas Anastasiadis, head of the Cybercrime Unit, emphasized that such threats should not be dismissed as trivial. He confirmed that the messages had been received by 349 schools, and the nature of the threats is serious.

Anastasiadis explained that the company responsible for sending the email is registered in Russia. However, this does not necessarily mean the message originated directly from Russia.

It was also noted that similar threats were recently sent to ten European countries.

“We immediately issued an urgent request for further information, but unfortunately, we haven’t received any response from the company. We’ve also reached out to the Russian authorities and Interpol, but so far, we’ve received no replies. We’re in contact with Europol and are closely monitoring the situation,” said Anastasiadis.

Elias Markatzis, Director of Secondary Technical Education, stated that schools had been alerted and were aware of the steps to take when they received the threat emails. He assured the public that all protocols were followed, and no major issues were reported. However, there have been some reports of panic in certain schools, which will be investigated further.

It is also worth noting that similar threatening emails were sent to Cypriot schools on May 17, 2024, but no leads were found at that time.