Else Beekman
MADRID – International schools throughout Spain have received bomb threats in recent days. Secretariats were warned by email that explosives had been placed in the school. Many schools then closed their doors.
As the French Lyceum in Zaragoza did on Monday morning immediately after receiving the warning. El Mundo writes that at least 18 international schools throughout Spain have received such an email in recent days. The threat has been taken extremely seriously and investigated by the various police units.
According to El Heraldo de Aragón, three other centers in Zaragoza have also closed their doors for this reason: the English School of Movera, the British School of Aragón and the Zaragoza School House.
False warnings
Police sources indicated on Monday afternoon that all cases involved false bomb warnings addressed to international schools. According to initial investigations, these were sent by the same author, although this has not been confirmed, according to 20Minutos.
Schools in Galicia
From Galicia, the National Police confirms that it is investigating the threat received on Sunday afternoon at the Los Sauces school in Campañó (Pontevedra), while the Guardia Civil is doing the same with other emails received at the SEK-Atlántico in Poio and the Gándara International School in the city of Gondomar.
Other recipients in cc
Sources from the management of the Lycée français Molière in Zaragoza assure El Mundo that the recipients in their email had not been blind copied. That is why the police could see which 17 other education centers had received the same email. This also includes schools in the Canary Islands. The only similarity between all schools is that they provide all international education.
Parents and teachers across Spain are very concerned as this is the first time they have encountered something like this.
Schools in Malaga
Several international schools and universities were also evacuated in the province of Malaga after news of the bomb warning emails broke. State security forces have also not found any explosives in Malaga so far. Explosive deactivation experts from TEDAX conducted on-site investigations into the affected schools. Many parents chose to pick up their children early from school as a precaution, reports the newspaper SUR in English.
Catalan schools
In the case of the affected Catalan centers, the Mossos d’Esquadra also assured that it was a “false alarm”. “All relevant checks” were carried out and, after finding no evidence, the centers were allowed to reopen. In this region, this included the Lycée Français in Reus, which remained closed on Monday, the British School of Costa Daurada in El Catllar, and the Socrates Educa International School (SEIS) in Salou.
Schools in Tenerife
There have also been bomb warnings at schools in Tenerife, including the Liceo Francés. As with the rest of the schools, several patrols and explosive deactivation units have also been sent here to verify the threats. The German School of El Rosario and the British School in La Orotava also received the email in question.
On December 15, the French Lyceum in Palma and the French Lyceum in El Campello (Alicante) also received a bomb threat by email.
Level 4 of terrorist threat
Spain is at level 4 of terrorist alert and today meetings are being held in all autonomous communities to coordinate preventive plans for the Christmas holidays.