Lithuanian schools receive hundreds of bomb threats

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Dozens of schools and public institutions across Lithuania reported bomb threats on Wednesday morning, marking the third occurrence of such incidents in the past few months.

The Police Department spokesperson, Ramūnas Matonis, stated the threats were “not only schools, but various other institutions also received them.”

The provisional count stands at several hundred, though the precise number remains unknown. The threatening messages were received overnight, indicating a specified time for the explosives to detonate.

“Initial information suggests that mostly schools and gymnasiums received several hundred emails in the Russian language,” stated the Police Department.

This surge in bomb threats is being treated as an “information attack” by the National Crisis Management Centre.

Matonis urged institutions not to halt their operations unless they identify a suspicious object or other signs suggesting a credible threat.

Third month of bomb threats

This unsettling pattern echoes a similar wave in mid-October when thousands of emails claiming the presence of explosives in schools, kindergartens, and municipal offices flooded Lithuanian institutions.

Schools in the other Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia were also targeted with schools and multiple public institutions having to evacuate.

Lithuania received further bomb threats in late November as schools were again targeted, with threats coming through via emails in English.

“There are possibilities that someone is seeking to destabilise Lithuania,” Dr. Amy Verdun of Leiden University told Euronews. 

“It is possible that this action was carried out by a group related to the Russian government,” she said.

“This country has long been aware of the risk of Russian interference. The motivation for Lithuanians to be close to the European Union was importantly motivated by seeking to keep distance from and be protected from Russia.”

Also on Wednesday, airports in Vilnius and Kaunas, and the Kaunas hydroelectric power station, received false bomb threats.

The State Security Department suspects a coordinated effort orchestrated by “hostile states” may be behind these incidents, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and security measures.