Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced heightened security measures and ongoing investigations following bomb threats targeting numerous schools across Hungary on Thursday morning. In a Facebook post on Thursday, he stated: ‘I am in constant contact with the Minister of Interior.‘

The threats, received in the form of emails, with similar content and according to the police, probably originating from the same source, led to the evacuation of at least 121 schools, including institutions in Budapest and other regions. According to Index, the coordinated bomb threats affected both urban and rural schools. Police were seen securing the premises of Gárdonyi Géza Primary School in Újbuda, where operations are ongoing.

Reports from readers and local outlets provided additional details. The Bocskai István Primary School, also located in Budapest‘s 9th district, was evacuated, while students at the Németh László Secondary School in Hódmezővásárhely were also asked to leave the premises, as confirmed by Promenad24.

Róbert Trippon, mayor of Újpest also shared on his page that five secondary schools were evacuated in Újpest.

Other schools in areas such as Szigetszentmiklós, as well as in the Csepel, and Soroksár districts in Budapest were similarly evacuated, according to Csepel.info, which also shared the threatening messages received.

It is likely that similar electronic messages originating from the same source were sent to multiple educational institutions on Thursday morning, the National Police Headquarters stated. They reported that schools had been threatened, and the police are taking all necessary measures in this regard.

They requested the following:

Anyone receiving such a message should notify the authorities and follow the instructions provided by the police.

In connection with the threats, the police have launched an investigation on suspicion of the crime of threatening public safety.

The National Police Chief has assigned the Rapid Response Police National Bureau of Investigation (KR NNI) to handle the investigation. Additionally, to ensure the case is resolved as quickly as possible, all regional units have been instructed to cooperate promptly with the KR NNI, they said.

Mayor Gergely Karácsony of Budapest has announced on his Facebook page that the Budapest public transport company BKK has sent out buses with heating to the affected schools to keep evacuated students warm.

Further updates on the situation and outcomes of the investigation are expected as the story develops.