Skopje, 6 March 2023 (MIA) — Answering reporters’ questions on the probe into the bomb threats emailed to schools, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said the situation was under control, the investigation was ongoing, and new guidelines were in force to deal with the threats without disrupting classes. 

“The police are here, they will be in every school, in all the institutions,” Minister Spasovski told the press after taking part in a conference on women in the security sector.

“We are in constant communication, not only with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy but also with all other state institutions, which are part of that chain of dealing with such cyber threats,” Spasovski said.

He said recent bomb claims were emailed from addresses in Iran and Russia but cryptocurrencies were used to pay for virtual private network services, which made it difficult to track the perpetrators of the crime.

As for people suspected of sending threats from North Macedonia, he said “this investigation is in an advanced stage and when the moment comes, we will inform the public.”

Asked if the Ministry of Interior will disclose information on the bomb threats schools receive from now on, considering the recently changed security guidelines, Spasovski said “any real threats will be reported on; everything else, such as unreal threats with a low degree of probability, will be disclosed to the extent to which they should be disclosed.”

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