Bomb threat sent to hundreds of Czech schools; some evacuating as precaution

Police officers are investigating a threatening email, the author of which claims that hundreds of schools in the Czech Republic have been planted with explosives. Some Czech schools have been evacuated.

On social media site X, police said they have no specific information suggesting anyone is at risk. The National Center for Combating Terrorism, Extremism, and Cybercrime is investigating.

The threatening email arrived at the schools today, confirmed police presidium spokesperson Ondřej Moravčík. Police are in close communication with representatives of the affected schools and have taken measures to interfere as little as possible with normal school operations.

"We want to assure the public that we have no specific information suggesting that anyone should be in danger," the police said on social media. The police did not order the evacuation of the schools, Moravčík told ČTK.

Czech server iDnes.cz reports that some schools have announced they are closed today as a precaution. One of them is ZŠ Ratibořická in Horní Počernice, Prague 20.

According to notifications received by Expats.cz staffers with children enrolled in classes in Prague 4, some schools are evacuating their premises temporarily until the situation is clarified.

Schools in Prague 7 have modified their hours on the recommendation of the police.

“The schools are in contact with the police and are proceeding with some regime modification within the framework of the police recommendations; they are adjusting the regime to take place outside the school building," Martin Vokuš, a spokesman for Prague 7, told CTK.

Two schools in Prague 9, the Novoborská Primary School and the 600 Litvínovská Primary School, reportedly received a threat. A Prague 9 spokeswoman stated that the threat was reported to the police. A patrol has arrived, and they are currently dealing with the situation.

City hall's website states that it is in contact with the principals of all district schools, including private educational institutions.

All schools in Prague 12 and Prague 13 received a threatening email stating that there would be an explosion at 12 p.m. As a result, the schools contacted the police and either closed for the day or moved to the playgrounds. Additionally, all primary schools in Prague 13 closed.

Around 270 schools in Slovakia have also received threatening emails about bomb attacks, causing authorities to advise the schools to suspend classes today. The country's interior and education ministers, along with police, held a press conference late this morning to address the situation. Slovak police are treating it as a terrorist attack.

According to Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok: "Every single school that received this email has been contacted by the police. Every single school is being investigated to see whether it is a real threat or just a bad joke."

Education Minister Tomáš Drucker has advised schools to suspend classes in the morning, despite the threats not being confirmed. He emphasized the importance of student safety, especially in light of the second day of the school year. President Peter Pellegrini and other Slovak politicians have condemned the bomb threats against schools.

In a separate development, a 13-year-old eighth grader in a Domažlice (Pilsen) school attacked their classmates this morning with a knife. Two children – a boy and a girl – were injured, though police report that thanks to the teacher's speedy intervention, further casualties were prevented. Some classes in the school have been canceled, while others are continuing.

Education Minister Mikuláš Bek expressed his regret online. "I am very sorry for the events that happened at the primary school in Domažlice. Violence in the school environment is completely unacceptable. We are in contact with our colleagues...and are ready to provide them with all support," said Bek.

Last year, a 16-year-old student attacked a school employee with a knife and injured her in a secondary school in Třebíč, Vysočina.

In 2022, a student killed a Prague 4 teacher in a brutal machete attack.