A wave of bomb threats sent via email disrupted public institutions, courts, and schools across multiple Bulgarian cities, triggering immediate police evacuations and building checks. According to FOCUS, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that the mass threats began arriving at approximately 9:30 a.m., forcing emergency teams to inspect public facilities nationwide. Threats were also received in Vidin, as well as in numerous other cities and towns across the country.
Widespread Institutional and School Evacuations Across Bulgarian Cities
The coordinated threats impacted regional capitals and smaller towns alike, including Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Burgas, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Montana, Lovech, Razgrad, Shumen, Kyustendil, Haskovo, Dobrich, and Blagoevgrad. In Sofia, the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs reported that threats targeted kindergartens, educational facilities, and administrative buildings. bTV News reported that one threatening email sent to educational facilities explicitly stated, Your building contains an explosive device, and detonation will occur one hour after this message.
Additional threatening messages received by schools stated, Hello, This is Wilayat Miocinistan. We inform you that our fighter has placed an explosive device in your building. Detonation will occur one hour after sending this letter. We will commit feminide against you — after the explosion, we will collect you piece by piece. Then we will finish off the survivors with knives.
Police protocols mandated the immediate evacuation of students, teachers, and administrative personnel while bomb squads swept the premises. In Sofia, threats were sent to institutions including kindergarten No. 91 “Slanchev Kat”, where parents were urged to pick up their children immediately, and kindergarten No. 153 in the “Ilinden” residential district, where children were led out into the courtyard. In Blagoevgrad, a polyclinic received a bomb threat, prompting the evacuation of doctors and patients while police inspected the building.
Court Buildings and Regional Offices Temporarily Closed for Inspections
Judicial and municipal authorities faced disruptions as security teams restricted access to major administrative hubs. In Burgas, the Palace of Justice was completely evacuated and closed to visitors and staff from 9:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., as reported by bTV Новините. In Razgrad, the Regional Court received an electronic threat at 9:12 a.m., followed by a second warning sent to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office at 9:46 a.m., according to ФОКУС. Similar evacuations affected the regional administrations and municipal offices in Lovech, Montana, and Shumen, where access to public buildings was restricted during police sweeps. In Lovech, employees of the Regional Administration, Lovech Municipality, and the “Preslav” Home were evacuated while police searched the premises. In Montana, the court building received a bomb threat via email, prompting the immediate evacuation of all citizens before police confirmed no explosives were present. In Shumen, threats targeted the municipality building—where access was restricted during checks involving police and fire teams—as well as a kindergarten in the village of Ivanski and the Center for Support of Personal Development – Youth Center “Anastas Stoyanov”. In Plovdiv, threats were sent to state institutions and childcare facilities, including the District Prosecutor’s Office and the Regional Administration. In Haskovo Region, 13 bomb threats were received by noon at the electronic addresses of institutions and schools, including the Palace of Justice in Haskovo, four schools in Haskovo, three schools in Dimitrovgrad, and schools in Merichleri, the Harmanli village of Ivanov, and the Dimitrovgrad village of Radievo, alongside kindergartens in Ivailovgrad and the Dimitrovgrad village of Chernogorovo. In Varna Region, multiple malicious email threats were sent to various facilities, including Varna Municipality, the National Revenue Agency, healthcare establishments, schools, and kindergartens. In Sliven, threats affected schools, kindergartens, and state institutions.
Police Clearance and Restoration of Normal Operations
Law enforcement agencies across the affected regions reported that initial inspections yielded no dangerous materials. In Kyustendil County, police checked eight separate locations—including schools, kindergartens, and the regional office of the National Revenue Agency—and confirmed no explosive devices were found, according to Vesti.bg. Katya Tabachka, spokesperson for the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Kyustendil, specified that two bomb threats targeted schools and three targeted kindergartens in Dupnica, while threats in Kyustendil targeted the building housing the National Revenue Agency and the Regional Education Directorate, as well as “Hristo Botev” Primary School. Iliyana Georgieva, spokesperson for the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Razgrad, confirmed that police teams inspected sites including the Regional Court, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office, kindergarten No. 6, and the hospital in Isperih. Similar all-clears were issued in Varna, Burgas, and Razgrad once specialized teams completed their protocols and institutional managers signed clearance declarations to resume standard public services.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Nationwide Bomb Threats
Which specific cities and institutions were targeted by the electronic threats?
Affected sites included district courts, regional prosecutor offices, municipal administration buildings, hospitals such as the medical facility in Isperih, and various kindergartens and schools.
Were any actual explosive devices discovered during the police inspections?
No explosive devices or hazardous materials were found during any of the law enforcement checks conducted across the country. Authorities in Sofia, Burgas, Kyustendil, and Razgrad confirmed that after completing mandatory sweep protocols, all inspected buildings were declared safe and reopened to the public.
How were the threatening messages delivered to the affected facilities?
The threats were transmitted via electronic mail directly to the official inboxes of courts, schools, hospitals, and municipal administrations beginning at approximately 9:12 a.m. Ministry of Interior teams responded by executing standard emergency evacuation and inspection procedures in every reported location.
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