Authorities in Germany have identified four teenage suspects in connection with threatening emails that prompted the closure of several schools last week.
A 15-year-old student from Berlin is believed to have sent an email that led to the cancellation of classes at the Max Planck secondary school in Duisburg on Thursday. In addition, three teenagers aged between 16 and 17 who reside in Duisburg are also under investigation, as reported by the local police.
The investigation into how the three Duisburg suspects were implicated in the threatening email is ongoing. According to the German news agency dpa, it is believed that the teens from Duisburg aimed to prevent an exam from taking place at their school.
Last week, 20 high schools in Duisburg were closed as a precautionary measure following emails that contained racist threats and right-wing extremist content, which led to the cancellation of in-person teaching for approximately 18,000 students.
Police are currently investigating whether the four teens are connected to those threatening emails sent over the weekend. Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of North-Rhine Westphalia, where Duisburg is located, praised the police’s swift response and emphasized that such threatening emails are not taken lightly.
The school closures come at a time when the far-right movement in Germany continues to gain strength. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party recently secured the most votes by an extreme right group since World War II and is now the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-police-probe-4-teen-suspects-over-school-threats/a-72225748?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
