Malaysian schools plagued by bomb threat emails, sender expresses personal struggles and hostility towards others

MALAYSIA: On 21 November, educational institutions, both international and religious, across peninsular Malaysia were disrupted as bomb threat emails prompted widespread class suspensions.

According to Malaysia’s news outlet The Star, schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan were affected.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain revealed that these schools received a similar email from an account using the name ‘takstorer.’

Investigation indicated that ‘takstorer’ means disruptor of peace in German. The email, originally in English, was translated into Bahasa Malaysia.

Interestingly, a similar email was sent to 70 schools in Jamaica on 12 November using the same email service provider, prompting an investigation into possible connections between the two incidents.

“The investigation now is focusing on whether the incident in Malaysia is related to the incident in Jamaica that is believed to have been masterminded by one individual,” said Razarudin.

Upon receiving the bomb threat information, police swiftly evacuated the buildings, conducting bomb disposal exercises.

However, no actual threat was found. The police have initiated investigations under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act for the misuse of network facilities.

Inspector General Razarudin concluded by assuring the safety of students and teachers nationwide is guaranteed.

Schools across peninsular Malaysia receive emails regarding bomb threats

In Kuala Lumpur, an international school on Jalan Stonor was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat email around 9:50 am.

Three schools, including two in Wangsa Maju, were involved in the capital, as confirmed by Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid.

He stated that the two schools involved were in Wangsa Maju while the remaining one is along Jalan Stonor under the Dang Wangi police jurisdiction.

Johor reported bomb threats at three international schools on the same day.

In Penang, a private Japanese school and two international schools received identical bomb threat emails.

The schools promptly reported the incidents to the police, describing emails with threatening details.

George Town acting OCPD Supt V. Saravanan reported that both schools received emails bearing the subject line: “A bomb had been planted at the school.”

The schools filed individual police reports, with one submitted to the Tanjung Tokong police station at 11.20 am and the other to the Datuk Keramat police station at 12.27 pm.

In a statement on Tuesday, Supt V. Saravanan explained that the email conveyed distressing personal struggles, stating that the sender is grappling with life problems, harbors hatred towards people, and alleges being a victim of sexual abuse by their father from a young age.

Additionally, the sender claimed to have experienced humiliation while attending school.

One school in Kajang evacuated its premises between 9.30 am and 10 am after receiving a threatening email, and in Ipoh, Perak, an international school in Meru Raya fell victim to a bomb hoax email around 10.10 am on the same day.

A religious school in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, Sekolah Tinggi Islam As-Sofa, also faced a bomb hoax, leading to the evacuation of over 500 students and staff.