Bomb threat e-mail sent to 19 schools in Malaysia a hoax: Malaysian police

PETALING JAYA - A bomb threat e-mail, which was sent to 19 schools in Malaysia on Nov 21, turned out to be a hoax, according to local police.

The schools that received the e-mail are located in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Perak and Negri Sembilan, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.

“These schools received the same e-mail from an account which bears the name ‘takstorer’ and our investigation revealed that the word ‘takstorer’ means disruptor of peace in German,” he said in a statement on Nov 21.

A private Japanese school and an international school in Penang lodged police reports after they received e-mail with the heading: “A bomb had been planted at the school”, said George Town’s acting officer in charge of police, District Superintendent V. Saravanan. 

“The e-mail stated that the sender is facing life problems and hates the people, and was sexually abused by his father since young as well as being humiliated in school,” said Supt Saravanan in a statement on Nov 21. 

Investigations revealed that the e-mail was originally written in English and later translated to Bahasa Malaysia, said Mr Razarudin.

An e-mail with the same content was also sent to 70 schools in Jamaica on Nov 12, using the same e-mail service provider, he added.

“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 Mr Razarudin.

The individual may have experienced childhood abuse and lack of attention. However, the computer software expertise has protected his identity, said Mr Razarudin.

“As soon as police received information about the bomb threat, action was taken to evacuate the buildings and police elements including the bomb disposal unit conducted bomb flushing exercises,” he said, adding that no bomb was found.

The police have opened investigations under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act for misuse of network facilities, Mr Razarudin added.

“We give our assurance that the safety of students and teachers is guaranteed nationwide,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK