Skopje, 6 March 2023 (MIA) — The bomb claims are an intense hybrid attack targeting not only schools but also other institutions, up to 120 in one day, according to Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski in a TV24 appearance.

He said authorities were working hard to discover the people sending the bomb threats. The police have responded to more than 520 false alerts since Oct. 19, 2022, he added.

“Several cases have been solved. Now we have an isolated group and we are working on the case,” Minister Spasovski said, pointing out that other countries in the region were dealing with bomb threats, as well.

Recent threats were emailed from addresses in Iran and Russia, he said, but payments to virtual private network services were made with cryptocurrencies which made it difficult to track the perpetrators.

He also told TV24 the authorities had come up with new security guidelines for schools. The new measures will not disrupt the educational process, he said.

According to media reports, elementary and high school principals on Friday received the new guidelines instructing staff what to do after receiving a threat. From now on, they say, the police and school staff will search for bombs without interrupting classes. Only if they find anything suspicious will they evacuate the school and call in bomb squads. mr/