Richard Connor with AFP, dpa, epd Schools in Duisburg, a city in western Germany

Richard Connor with AFP, dpa, epd Schools in Duisburg, a city in western Germany, have been shuttered following extremist threats directed at multiple educational institutions.

Officials have described the closure as a precautionary measure. The phrase "School closed" is visible on a locked gate. Although officials are uncertain about the severity of the threats, they opted for a cautious response. On Monday, various schools in Duisburg remained closed as a safeguard following alerts indicating potential criminal actions against them. According to the police in North Rhine-Westphalia, the warnings included "threatening and far-right extremist statements." What We Know About the Threats: Authorities reported that a comprehensive school in Germany received a letter from an unknown sender last Friday, threatening criminal conduct to occur on Monday.

This same school received a second letter on Sunday, which included threats associated with 13 other schools in the vicinity. Experts from Duisburg's State Security Service have assessed the situation and do not consider the threats to be highly credible. Nonetheless, state government officials decided to cancel in-person classes at all secondary and comprehensive schools, as well as one grammar school in Duisburg. Some of these institutions are providing online instruction instead. Approximately 17,980 students across 15 comprehensive schools and two secondary schools are impacted by the closures. While other schools intend to remain open, they are allowing parents to make the decision on whether to send their children to school. The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung reported that officials categorized the threat level as "Threat Level 2," indicating a risk of violent attacks affecting multiple students or death threats, according to their action plan. To enhance safety, police will maintain a presence at the affected schools, working to "further reduce any potential residual risk." Investigations into the identity of the sender and the context of the threats are ongoing.

DWNEWS