Bomb threats: Nine schools in St. Pölten evacuated!

Bomb threats: Nine schools in St. Pölten evacuated!

Nine schools in Lower Austria had to be evacuated due to multiple bomb threats. These threats were recorded in several educational institutions since Sunday, May 25, 2025 and were made via email. Police spokesman Johann Baumschlager reported that at least nine threats were received and appropriate precautionary measures were taken. In a letter that was presumably created using artificial intelligence, the sender announced that a bomb was set to explode in one of the schools on Monday morning. Special forces were deployed to search the affected buildings.

The measures taken also included the use of explosives experts and specially trained dogs. Despite intensive efforts by the emergency services, no bomb has been found so far. Among the schools affected are three in St. Pölten.

Uncertainty about the senders

The threats were received on Tuesday night and not all 16 schools in the region were affected. Some schools closed as a precaution because of their proximity to threatened facilities. The emails contained Arabic characters saying: “You infidels will die.” The sender of these threats is currently unknown and investigations are ongoing.

A 20-year-old Swiss man is suspected of having made 27 anonymous bomb threats since the end of September. Despite his arrest in October, he was released because the criminal proceedings are ongoing in Switzerland. It is currently suspected that this Swiss man is not behind the new threats; he could be a free rider.

Difficulties in the investigation

Identifying the masterminds poses major challenges for the authorities, as the senders can easily conceal their data, including by using VPNs. The ongoing increase in bomb threats at schools has now become a nationwide problem, which has also sparked a broader discussion about the security situation in educational institutions. Further information on this topic can be found on the website of Mirror, courier and 5min.