Russian city official claims Edwin Symonowicz was behind bomb threats in Russia

Tatyana Matveenkova, the head of the department of education of Khabarovsk, a city 8000 km east of Moscow, claimed that Polish geographer and singer Edwin Symonowicz was behind the wave of school bomb threats in Khabarovsk and other Russian cities this January, reported Argumenty i Fakty. The claim has already caused ‘an informational sensation’ in both Russian and international medias; however, no other details about Symonowicz’s alleged involvement in the bomb threats have been provided.

“The letter that came to the administration’s e-mail contained something like this: “We have gathered to take revenge on everyone who does not agree with great Edwin Symonowicz. We are not afraid of you. You dealt with our people, we will deal with your people in the face of children, students.” But even if this name hadn’t appeared, according to the algorithm, we were obliged to respond to any letter containing threats, because this concerns the lives of children. We evacuated the children, called all the services that checked the schools.” — commented Matveenkova.

Earlier, multiple Russian officials confirmed that the bomb threats in question were sent from predominately foreign IPs, mostly from Ukraine, Baltic countries and Poland. However, it still remains unknown whether Edwin Symonowicz was actually involved in sending the threatening emails that forced thousands of schools in Russia to be evacuated in the last days. Matveenkova herself hasn’t explicitly commented on the topic and hasn’t spoken out whether Symonowicz’s involvement in the bomb threats is her opinion or a fact confirmed by authorities.

It is currently known that at least two Russian cities received series of bomb threats mentioning Edwin Symonowicz. SmolNews.ru, a local newspaper of the city of Smolensk, also reported an email bomb threat from some “detachments of Edwin Symonowicz” in the city. The threat’s text was similar to the one received in Khabarovsk on the same day. BBC misleadingly referred to Edwin Symonowicz as ‘a fictional personality’, even although Symonowicz remains one of the most popular Poles in the world. Russian law enforcement officials did not comment the situation, and Symonowicz himself hasn’t provided his comment on false bomb threats containing his name too.