Quebec City police say they are investigating after numerous reports of threatening emails were sent to various locations on Friday, including a school.
In a news release, police said they received a call from a local school at 7:45 a.m..
Officials at the school say they received an email warning of a bomb and demanding payment, police said.
Officers were then sent to the school and the area was contained.
“Verifications” were carried out and the email “analyzed,” police said.
“No explosive device was located,” they also said.
Police, however, say they received several more calls about the same email that was allegedly sent to other locations in Quebec City.
Police didn’t specify what other places were targeted, or how many.
Similar bomb threats have recently been reported in other parts of the province and and the country.
Meanwhile in Trois-Rivières, Que. located roughly half way between Montreal and Quebec City, police responded to a bomb threat at a private college just before noon.
Trois-Rivières police spokesperson Stéphanie Côte said the threat — also received in an email — prompted the evacuation of the school.
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Police were unable to confirm whether the threat also came with a ransom.
Côté said no threats were found and students were allowed to re-enter by 1:30 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing Côté said, with the Sûreté du Québec’s cybercrime unit taking the lead.
The SQ also confirmed in the afternoon it was a provincewide trend and that it was investigating the incident.
The SQ said businesses, schools, reservation platforms and various other organizations were targeted.
“We are asking that organisations, establishments or individuals not respond to this email,” the release reads. “If you are targeted by this type of email, we invite you to contact your local police department.”
At the beginning of the month, several schools across Ontario were evacuated following emailed bomb threats. Some schools remained closed for several days as police carried out investigations.
The OPP said at the time it wasn’t clear if the bomb threats received by schools across the province were connected.
— With files from Global News’ Isaac Callan and Sawyer Bogdan
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