Threatening messages were sent to around ten educational establishments in the Moselle department on Monday morning.
Screenshots of the messages, sent through digital systems that the schools work on and obtained by the RTL Infos editorial team, read: “During the day of March 25, I will blow up the entire establishment.” The sender claimed to have planted C4-type explosives and even invited the recipients to join his “mission”.
According to Le Républicain Lorrain, affected schools include the Charlemagne (Thionville), Louis-Vincent (Metz), Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (Algrange) high schools, a high school in Saint-Avold, another in Sarreguemines and two high schools in Fameck. The Fameck college was also targeted, the newspaper says. Those of Cattenom and Behren-les-Forbach also received threats.
Around 10.15am, reports came in that several high schools located in the Vosges were also affected. It included the Lycée des Métiers in Gérardmer, the Jean Lurçat high school in Bruyères, the André Malraux high school in Remiremont and the Solxures-sur-Moselotes vocational high school.
A high school, a middle school (Grüber) and an elementary school (Colombey-les-Belles) located in Meurthe-et-Moselle were also added to the list, with a mine clearance team sent to the latter. The Reiser High School in Longlaville was evacuated.
1,400 students were also evacuated from the Raymond-Pointcarré high school in Bar-le-Duc, in the Meuse. The establishment was checked by police but it is unclear whether classes are resuming at this moment.
Some establishments reopened their doors in the morning, including the Louis-Vincent high school in Metz and Jean-Lurçat de Bruyères.
Police say the messages were sent on Sunday night, and they spread on social media.
Students and teachers received messages with violent language, with words including “extermination” and “decapitations”. Hundreds of students received these messages via their digital communication platforms.
On Sunday, France raised its vigilance level to “emergency attack” on Sunday. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal made the announcement following the attack on Moscow, claimed by Islamic State last Friday.
