New Zealand: At least 12 schools in New Zealand received bomb threats today, causing confusion believed to be caused by a cyber attack from outside the country. Many of the schools affected by the threats were either closed or vacated.
The wave of new threats comes 24 hours after false alerts were received by four New Zealand schools in Waikato, Thames and Gisborne on the North Island (North Island).
Sherry Taylor-Battle, president of the New Zealand School Principals’ Association, said in a press statement that she had spoken to the Department of Education, who “understood it was a robot from the outside”.
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, Dunstan, Ashburton and Palmerston North.
Tasman County Superintendent Simon Feltham said authorities were speaking with “two young men” about a threat to Marlborough College for Girls. So far, there has been no information about finding explosive devices in any of the schools that have received threats.
A similar incident occurred in 2016 when schools across New Zealand and Australia received false threats of explosive devices on their campuses.
