A SERIES of bomb hoaxes targeting North East and Border schools have been linked to a teenager living nearly 14,000 kilometres away.
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Michael Ron David Kadar, 18, who resides in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, has been charged by police in the Middle East country after a worldwide operation.
He has been charged by Israeli authorities with making 2000 automated bomb and shooting hoax calls to schools, airlines, hospitals and Jewish centres in the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.
The calls allegedly date from January 2016.
Victoria Police said places in their state allegedly tied to Kadar include Wangaratta, Wodonga and Yarrawonga.
On February 17 last year, Wangaratta West Primary School, the Southern Rise Education Centre and Sacred Heart Primary School were hit by hoax calls forcing students to be evacuated.
Lavington’s Murray High School and scores of other schools across the country were also affected by the same prank that day.
Kadar, who was charged in Israel last Sunday, has been tied to 591 threats across Australia, including 128 in Victoria.
Sacred Heart school principal Paul Maher told The Border Mail at the time the anxiety the hoax calls had created among parents.
“There was great distress for the safety of their children but while the concern was there, they were also appreciative of the fact that the school had completed it so quickly,” Mr Maher said.
“There’s a feeling of frustration, there’s a feeling of anger, that these people want to disrupt the lives of children in their cause, whatever that cause may be.”
Meanwhile, a Mildura boy, 17, has been charged with 74 offences linked to bomb hoaxes.
The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly sent threats to schools in three states.
Police, who did not oppose bail at a children’s court hearing, alleged the boy at times responded to requests from students wanting time off school or exams delayed.
The charges came after a police computer crime investigation into email bomb hoaxes across Victoria, South Australia and NSW between May 2016 and April 2017.
A police prosecutor said hoaxes would be sent to schools via “guerrilla mail”, a free disposable email address, often stating “pipe bomb” and “allahu akbar”.
- with Sunraysia Daily
