A group who are claiming to be behind dozens of hoax bomb threats across England and France are taking ‘requests’ to cause more evacuations across the world.
The ‘evacuators’ have now had their Twitter account suspended but are still operating using online messaging and email. They claim they can cause evacuations in schools, offices, courts and sporting events, The Independent reports.
A mission statement was posted on the internet on Tuesday morning, saying:
Hello, and we are EvacuationSquad. We do what we do for a few reasons: We hate the American government, we hate authority and we LOVE to cause mayhem.
Four schools evacuated after receiving 'hoax' bomb threats https://t.co/KLoVi6mdIZ pic.twitter.com/Lktu3C2UkM
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 19, 2016
Their contact details included a Russian domain ending and a country code for the Soviet Union – which has become something of a ‘haven’ for cyber criminals.
This went online just hours after six prestigious schools in Paris and 14 across London, Cornwall and the West Midlands were evacuated after receiving anonymous threats.
However, police found no evidence of suspicious devices and as they continued security checks, the @Ev4cuati0nSquad Twitter profile boasted: “Schools in Paris dropping like flies,” one said. “How’s the West Midlands doing?” another asked.
'Frightening to think what could be going on': Parents' fears after school bomb threatshttps://t.co/IAdfH25KiS pic.twitter.com/InqlnZVFHB
— Express & Star (@ExpressandStar) January 27, 2016
They used the hashtags #SWATTED and #SwatTheWorld in reference to a type of hoax known as ‘swatting’ in the U.S. They also announced their support for Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime and claimed it was controlled by six individuals based internationally.
A pinned tweet read: “Want to get out of school for a day? Want to divert the police away from a crime you’re going to commit? Email us.”
A separate advert contained a price-list which stated it was from $5 for a school and around $50 for major sporting events.
Police could not confirm whether the threats were from the same source or part of a coordinated hoax and their inquiries continue.