Getting Bomb Threats: Schools In New Zealand Closed, Some Evacuate

Ilustrasi. (Unsplash/Stillness InMotion)

JAKARTA - At least a dozen schools across New Zealand received bomb threats on Thursday, causing widespread disruption in what is believed to be a cyberattack overseas.

As a result of the terror attack, many related schools were closed or evacuated, as reported by CNA on July 28.

The new wave of threats came 24 hours after fake calls to four New Zealand schools on Wednesday in Waikato, Thames and Gisborne on the North Island.

Cherie Taylor-Patel, president of the New Zealand Federation of Principals, told RNZ she had spoken to the Ministry of Education, which "understood this is actually a cyberbot coming from overseas".

Meanwhile, New Zealand Police said in a statement that they "do not believe there is a security risk".

However, authorities said they were still investigating threats to schools in Marlborough, Masterton, Kaikoura, Greymouth, Queenstown, Levin, Whanganui, Rolleston, Takaka, Geraldine, Dunstan, Ashburton and Palmerston North.

Separately, Tasman County Commander Simon Feltham said they were in talks with "two young people" over threats made against Marlborough Girls' College.

It is known, so far there have been no reports of the discovery of explosive devices or related ones in any of the schools that were targeted by the bomb threat this time.

To note, there was a similar incident in 2016 when schools in New Zealand and Australia received fake calls, saying there was a bomb in the school that was receiving calls.

In 2018, an Israeli-American was jailed for 10 years by a court in Israel for making about 2.000 hoax threats in North America, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark.