Police probe hoax bomb threats as similar incidents surface in Cyprus and Slovakia
Public services and schools in Cyprus and Slovakia received threats two weeks ago similar to the emailed bomb threats sent Wednesday morning to schools in Attica, it has emerged amid an ongoing investigation by the cybercrime division of the Greek Police.
Authorities speculate that Wednesday’s emails, warning that explosives were stored in at least 35 schools, were sent by the same anonymous sender.
The threats, which prompted on-site inspections, turned out to be a hoax. It is believed that the perpetrators aimed to cause panic.
The text included references to an Islamic State attack in Paris and Islamic terrorism, concluding with the phrase, “We will burn your stadium.”
Local authorities are on full alert as the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final between Olympiakos and Italy’s Fiorentina will take place at the AEK Arena in Nea Filadelfia in western Athens on Wednesday evening.
Disruptive digital attacks, many of which have been traced to Russia-backed groups, have doubled in the European Union in recent months, the EU’s top cybersecurity official said in an interview with AP on Wednesday.
Juhan Lepassaar, head of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), noted that attacks with geopolitical motives have steadily risen since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
