Bomb threats spread across dozens of New Zealand schools
July 28, 2022, 6:43 pm

Bomb threats spread across dozens of New Zealand schools

At least a dozen schools across New Zealand received bomb threats on Thursday (July 28) - Photo. Pixabay

At least a dozen schools across New Zealand received bomb threats on Thursday (July 28), causing widespread disruption in what is believed to have been an overseas cyberattack. Many of the schools involved were either locked down or evacuated as a result, the Khaleej Times reported, citing the AFP.

It said that the fresh wave of threats came on Wednesday (July 27), 24 hours after the hoax calls received by four New Zealand schools in Waikato, Thames and Gisborne on the North Island.

Cherie Taylor-Patel, president of New Zealand's Principal's Federation, told Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that she had spoken to the Ministry of Education, whose "understanding is that this was actually a cyberbot coming in from overseas".

New Zealand police said in a statement that they "do not believe there is a safety risk". However, authorities said that they were still investigating threats to schools in numerous areas of the country.

There was a similar incident in 2016, when schools across New Zealand and Australia received hoax calls that there were live bombs on the premises - Photo. Pixabay

Tasman Area Commander Simon Feltham said they were speaking to "two young people" over a threat made against Marlborough Girls' College.

So far, there are no reports of explosive devices having been found at any of the schools targeted.

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There was a similar incident in 2016, when schools across New Zealand and Australia received hoax calls that there were live bombs on the premises.

The report noted that in 2018, an Israeli-American was jailed for 10 years by a court in Israel for making about 2,000 hoax threats in North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark.

Source: khaleejtimes

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”