Bomb threats reported in several bulgarian cities: Courts, municipality, hospital and kindergarten evacuated

A series of bomb threats has been reported at public buildings and institutions across Bulgaria. The alerts affected institutions in Montana, Razgrad, Isperih and Lovech, among other locations. Employees and members of the public were evacuated from several buildings as police carried out security checks.

In Montana a bomb threat was sent to the email address of the courthouse, prompting the evacuation of everyone inside. No explosive devices were found.

In Razgrad threats were received by the District Court and the District Prosecutor’s Office, while alerts were also reported at the hospital in Isperih and Kindergarten No. 6 in Razgrad.

In Lovech threats were sent to the regional administration, the municipal administration and the “Preslav” residential care home, leading to the evacuation of employees. Similar alerts were reported in other parts of the country, including Shumen, Haskovo, Varna, Plovdiv, Burgas, Sofia and Vidin. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other public institutions were among the locations affected.

In Burgas the courthouse was temporarily evacuated and closed to employees and visitors between 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. No explosive device was found, and normal operations resumed. Police checks in Kyustendil Region also found no explosives, allowing work at the affected institutions to continue.

The Interior Ministry said that the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and other structures were investigating the threats, in cooperation with partner services, to identify their source. Initial information suggested that the messages had been sent using compromised email accounts and servers outside Bulgaria.