Anonymous bomb threats and evacuations continue in Russia, no bombs discovered - UPDATES

RFE/RL
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 13:13 UTC

© Anton Vaganov/TASS

Russian authorities said a rash of anonymous bomb threats that have prompted the evacuation of schools, shopping malls, train stations, and other buildings continued on September 18.

Moscow authorities said that some 600 people were evacuated from eight administrative buildings in the capital and that one private company was also evacuated.

In the capital of the Udmurtia region, Izhevsk, authorities evacuated people from two shopping malls and a hotel after receiving a phoned-in bomb threat.

In Cheboksary, capital of the Chuvashia region, a total of 12 buildings, including shopping malls, hotels, and a courthouse, were evacuated.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from schools, malls, theaters, universities, hotels, and government buildings in cities across Russia following anonymous bomb threats that began on September 10.

Bombs have not been discovered in any of the cases.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 14 that the threats are "telephone terrorism" and that "all necessary measures are being taken" to find the perpetrators.

Comment: (UPDATE) The FSB says four Russians are suspected of organizing the anonymous threats. FSB head Aleksandr Bortnikov says the suspects are living abroad and working with accomplices in Russia. However, he did not give names or describe their motives. The threats and subsequent evacuations have had a cost of around $5.2 million in just the first few days - and the calls continued for weeks after that.

After Bortnikov's statement, the threats have continued:

Officials said that more than 1,500 people were evacuated from at least five schools in the capital, the Moscow Oblast legislature, and other buildings after about 30 anonymous bomb threats were received in about one hour on October 6.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from schools, malls, theaters, universities, hotels, and government buildings in cities nationwide amid a wave of anonymous bomb threats that began on September 10.

Bombs have not been discovered in any of the cases, and weeks of silence from among law enforcement authorities on possible suspects or motives prompted wide-ranging speculation.