The Lauder Javne Jewish Community School was among 240 schools in Hungary that were evacuated after receiving a bomb threat via email, local media reported on Thursday.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced heightened security measures and ongoing investigations following the series of bomb threats that disrupted schools across Hungary.
In a Facebook post, Orbán stated that he remains in close contact with Interior Minister Sándor Pintér regarding the situation.
The bomb threats, which police believe originated from a single source, were delivered via emails with similar content. The threats resulted in the evacuation of over 240 schools, including institutions in Budapest and other regions, according to reports from local media.
Police operations were notably visible at Gárdonyi Géza Primary School in Újbuda, where investigations are ongoing.
Local news outlets provided further details, reporting that schools in urban and rural areas were targeted. Among the affected institutions were Bocskai István Primary School in Budapest’s 9th district and Németh László Secondary School in Hódmezővásárhely.
Róbert Trippon, mayor of Újpest, shared via social media that five secondary schools in Újpest were also evacuated. Schools in Szigetszentmiklós, as well as Budapest’s Csepel and Soroksár districts, were similarly disrupted, as reported by Csepel.info, which published the threatening messages.
The National Police Headquarters confirmed that the electronic threats likely came from the same source. “All necessary measures are being taken to address these threats,” the statement read.
Authorities have urged anyone receiving such messages to contact the police immediately and adhere to their instructions. An investigation has been launched on charges of threatening public safety, with the Rapid Response Police National Bureau of Investigation (KR NNI) leading the case. Regional police units have been directed to cooperate fully with the KR NNI to expedite the investigation.
To support affected pupils, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony announced on Facebook that heated buses provided by public transport company BKK were deployed to keep evacuated children warm.
The bomb threat
Alleged copies of the threat are circulating online.
"An explosive device was planted in the school," the email begins.
"Now is the time to extend our blessed operations to the heart of Europe, the bastion of disbelief and hypocrisy."
"We have witnessed your governments' ongoing war against Muslims, and it would be only right that you should now experience the wrath of the oppressed. From now on, your safety is no longer guaranteed."
"Let Europe know the taste of retribution and the cost of interfering in the affairs of the Muslim World. The time of reckoning has come, and we are the instruments of Allah's wrath," it continued.
"This is not a threat, It is a promise. It is the will of Allah," the threat concluded.
Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.