School in Upper Franconia
Police find no explosives after bomb threat
Police vehicles are parked in front of the comprehensive school in Hollfeld in the Bayreuth district. photo
© Fricke/NEWS5/dpa
A bomb threat against a school in Upper Franconia triggers a police operation. Now there is an all-clear – but according to investigators it could be a serious threat.
After the bomb threat against a comprehensive school in the Bayreuth district Police found no explosives during an “extensive” search of the building. The Upper Franconia police headquarters did not initially say who sent the threatening letter with a “Hamas connection” sent by email. It also remained unclear for the time being whether someone was simply using the Gaza conflict as a free rider or whether the author actually sympathized with Hamas. Classes were canceled on Friday.
The bomb threat had already been received on Thursday. A teacher then reported to the police on Friday night. The officers decided to search with sniffer dogs, which began that night. The Bayreuth police are now checking whether it was “swatting” – the malicious triggering of a large-scale operation. However, the investigators did not rule out the residual risk of a serious threat.
According to the police, this was specifically aimed at the comprehensive school in Hollfeld; there were no police operations or cancellations of classes at other schools. However, the police do not want to let the case rest, so the criminal investigation department is investigating at full speed. There will be emergency care for the students in Hollfeld on Friday instead of classes. However, according to the police, most families were warned in time and saved themselves the trip to school.
According to the government of Upper Franconia, more than 1,000 students attend the Hollfeld comprehensive school. The town of Hollfeld itself has just 2,500 inhabitants. There are very few comprehensive schools in Bavaria, which is why the school in Hollfeld is known nationally and also attracts children from the neighboring districts of Bamberg and Kulmbach. Three school branches are offered here under one roof – middle school, secondary school and high school. The Ministry of Culture only lists five “special type schools” across Bavaria, which is what this type of school is called in the Bavarian school bureaucracy.