Increasing threats of bomb attacks have resulted in hundreds of evacuations and closures of private buildings, transport hubs and offices in four countries, causing confusion and in some cases panic. Thousands of threats arrived Thursday against companies, schools, hospitals and communications companies in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Police agencies in the United States and Canada said most of the threats were sent by email, but some were contacted by unknown people. They warned that devices containing explosive compounds such as tetryl or trinitrotoluene would be detonated unless the funds were deposited into an international account using virtual bitcoin currency. The messages also warned that the alleged devices would be detonated if "police activity or unusual behavior" were detected.
A one-day work deadline was given to deposit the funds. Throughout the day, police agencies on three continents have issued alerts urging citizens to promptly report the behavior of suspicious individuals. Fortunately, all the reports were groundless.
It is not the first time that similar events have occurred but what shocked law enforcement was the number and geographic extent of the threats that affected four countries.
In the United States, threats have been reported in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Oklahoma City, where dozens of specific addresses have been targeted. Nearly 30 schools were placed en masse in the state of Colorado, while numerous buildings were evacuated to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Cincinnati and Seattle.
The smaller cities, including South Bend, Indiana, Grand Rapids, Iowa, Charlotte, North Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, and Park City, Utah, have also been hit.
In Canada, dozens of bomb threats were emitted in Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto, where five of the city's underground stations were closed for several hours. The media reports at the end of Thursday said it was not clear how many -one none- of those to whom the ransom of the bitcoins had been requested by the pranksters.
