Four Limassol nurseries evacuated over bomb scare, day after two in Nicosia (update 2)

Four Limassol nurseries were evacuated after receiving emails warning of a bomb on Friday in a replay of what occurred in Nicosia a day earlier.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that as soon as the police has completed examinations at the first nursery, where nothing was found, a similar email was received by a second nursery in the town.

The premises of the second were evacuated while police with sniffer dogs carried out investigations at the scene and closed off the road.

Later, the news agency said a total of four nurseries had by midday received the same threatening email.

In all cases, as in Nicosia, the email was the same – written in English and claiming that a mercenary had placed a well-hidden explosive device on the premises and if they see police or suspicious movements, it will be triggered.

The sender asked for $80,000 to be sent to a specific bitcoin account by the end of the day so as to instruct the individual to leave.

Nothing has been found. The same emails are believed to have been sent to other private nurseries but have not yet been read by their management, the Cyprus News Agency said.

Authorities are focusing on identifying the sender.

Two Nicosia nurseries were evacuated on Thursday morning after receiving an email threatening to blow them up unless they paid a ransom.

The first was received early in the morning while the second one was reportedly sent not too long afterwards to a nursery in the same area.

In both cases the children were taken outside to safety while bomb squad officers examined the premises finding nothing suspicious.

No official details concerning the email were immediately available, as police were trying to track down the sender.