terrorism

Don’t panic if you see more police officers in the Hungarian Christmas markets – UPDATE with PHOTOS

According to the official website of the Hungarian Police, plainclothes police officers will flood Hungarian Christmas markets after the brutal car attack a 50-year-old doctor with Saudi origins committed at the Magdeburg Christmas fair. Prominent politicians of the Orbán cabinet continued to criticise Germany’s welcome culture during which millions of illegal migrants arrived in the country. FM Szijjártó talked about an atmosphere of fear in the European Christmas markets.

More Hungarian police officers in Christmas markets

According to police.hu, more plainclothes police officers will stand on duty in the Hungarian Christmas fairs following the brutal car attack a Saudi doctor carried out at the Magdeburg Christmas fair on Friday. The aim is to improve the subjective perception of safety and prevent crimes committed in public spaces. The increased police presence will affect not only the markets but also the downtown of Budapest, and bigger rural towns and the main roads leading to these settlements.

Budapest Advent Bazilika hungary news — Photo: **depositphotos.com**

Furthermore, visitors may see physical obstacles around the Christmas markets, increasing safety and preventing similar attacks. Police ask everybody to pay attention to their valuables and follow their instructions for everybody’s sake.

Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Centre increases presence

According to 444.hu, units of Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) are also present in the Budapest and rural Christmas fairs, especially at the Vörösmarty Square Christmas Fair and the Advent Bazilika. Both Christmas markets were chosen as Europe’s best ones. TEK said they would like to reduce their reaction time and improve the participants’ sense of safety by being present in and in close proximity to the Christmas fairs.

According to Délmagyar, the organisers of the Szeged Christmas fair also increased security after the Magdeburg attack. For example, they closed the great gate connecting the Dóm Square with the Aradi vértanúk Square, which might be used for a similar attack against the large crowds gathering to celebrate the Advent period in front of the Szeged Basilica. Of course, pedestrians can continue to use the side gates.

Hungarian politicians’ remarks

PM Orbán talked about the Magdeburg attack in his annual international press conference, saying that Brussels (the European Commission) wanted to “turn Hungary into Magdeburg”, and force risky migration regulations on the country, which “must not be allowed”. He added there was “no doubt” of a connection between illegal migration and terrorist acts but many had tried to deny this, “even though it is a fact that nothing like [such attacks] had happened before” Europe’s migration crisis.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó talked about the attack as “shocking and unacceptable” and highlighted that fear has become a “common feeling” among those who visit Christmas markets in Europe today.

Magdeburg attack commited by Saudi doctor

9 people, including a 9-year-old kid, died in the Magdeburg terrorist attack on Friday while more than 200 people were injured.

The main suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen by the local media, arrived in Germany in 2006 and worked as a psychiatrist. German authorities granted him asylum in 2016. “He ran a website that aimed to help other former Muslims flee persecution in their Gulf homelands”, BBC wrote about him. Saudi authorities said they had sent four “Notes Verbal” about the perpetrator, but German authorities ignored them. Experienced counter-terrorism experts believe that is just part of a Saudi disinformation campaign to discredit people trying to help flee Saudi women and seek asylum in Germany. According to reports, the man “considered himself the most aggressive critic of Islam”.

Read also:

Young people planning armed attacks against protected persons in Hungary – US intelligence warns

UN Counter-Terrorism Office in Budapest to expand Hungarian staff under new agreement

December 22, 2024

UN Counter-Terrorism Office in Budapest to expand Hungarian staff under new agreement

szijjártó UN Counter-Terrorism Office in Budapest

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism in Budapest will employ further Hungarian experts under a recently signed agreement, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

In a Facebook post, the minister noted his Thursday talks with Vladimir Voronkov, UN’s under-secretary-general for counter-terrorism, and said a threat of terrorism was facing people in a number of places across the world, mentioning the Sahel in Africa, Syria in the Middle East, and Pakistan and Afghanistan in Asia. Terrorism, he added, had become a global challenge, affecting regions that had so far been considered safe. “The UN’s most important task should be a successful fight against terrorism,” Szijjártó said.

The UN centre in Budapest currently employs 28 people, including 8 Hungarians, he said, adding that the office was serving more and more functions, including monitoring the international movements of terrorists and coordinating actions to thwart such activities. Under the new agreement, one-third of the UN facility’s staff will be Hungarian, Szijjártó said.

Read also:

December 21, 2024

Orbán cabinet: Fake news on Syrian president’s arrival in Budapest could be coordinated secret services operation

Fake news lacking any factual basis about the ousted Syrian president landing in Budapest resulted in a dangerous situation, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday, adding it was possible that a “coordinated secret services operation” was behind the reports.

What’s behind the fake news about the Syrian president’s arrival in Budapest?

Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing that it could not be ruled out that the reports did not just result from human error but a “coordinated secret services operation”.

A national security investigation is under way which is expected to reveal whether those that spread the fake news were also part of the secret services operation or they were “merely useful idiots who could be used by other states for their own purposes,” Gulyás said.

He added that the Hungarian services had to make great efforts as early as on Sunday to refute the fake news.

Gulyás said that as a result of the fake news, employees of the Hungarian foreign representative office and Hungarians living in the country had come under threat, protection had to be provided for the Syrian embassy in Budapest, and an increased risk of terrorist activity had to be calculated with.

Read also:

December 12, 2024

Breaking: Slovenia tightens border controls with Hungary and Croatia

In response to the ongoing challenges posed by terrorism and illegal immigration, Slovenia has announced an increase in border controls with both Croatia and Hungary. This decision follows the recent developments in Syria, which have prompted several European nations to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum claims. Slovenia’s Interior Minister, Boštjan Poklukar, discussed the issue with his Italian and Croatian counterparts, Matteo Piantedosi and Davor Božinović, during a meeting on Tuesday.

Slovenia tightens border controls

Several European countries, including Belgium, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have already suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syria, Economx reports. However, Slovenia has not yet indicated whether it will follow suit. The enhanced border checks are part of Slovenia’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal migration and terrorism, following concerns raised by the latest developments in Syria.

The three countries have agreed to continue discussions during a meeting of EU interior ministers later this week. Slovenia had reinstated temporary border checks on 21 October of the previous year after Italy introduced similar measures on its Slovenian border. Since then, both countries have periodically extended these controls in response to increasing migration pressures.

Read also:

December 11, 2024

FM Szijjártó calls out journalists, politicians ‘who spread fake news’ in Hungary

Péter Szijjártó has told journalists and politicians who “spread fake news” of a plane landing in Budapest should show self-restraint, saying the reports were completely untrue and could put Hungary in danger in the current febrile atmosphere. “Some politicians pounced on this news and created a huge fake news tsunami from it,” the foreign minister said.

Szijjártó warns about the dangers of fake news

Szijjártó said “political profiteering” from the fake news soon caught hold in Hungary, according to a ministry statement on Tuesday.

Fake news connected to the “struggle” in the Middle East “involving terrorist organisations” could put the whole country “in very serious danger”, he said, adding that the false reports started spreading on Sunday and peddled distortions over the evacuation of Hungary’s embassy in Syria.

The Syrian embassy in Budapest could have been targeted by terrorists, he said, adding that it was also possible that terrorist attacks may be mounted against Hungarian interests, people and communities “anywhere in the world” if they terrorists were to act on information that “justify their way of thinking”.

Szijjártó called on “Hungarian journalists and all Hungarian politicians to exercise self-restraint … and try to behave a little responsibly”.

Luckily a tragedy had not occurred this time, “but it could have”, he said.

Read also:

December 10, 2024

BREAKING: Mystery Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport, Assad seeking Trump’s help from Budapest?

opposition journalists subjected to lie detector test

A Syrianair jet landed at Budapest Airport yesterday evening, but no Hungarian airport employees were allowed to serve or even get close to the mystery aircraft. Instead, Hungarian media wrote that units of the elite military branch Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) arrived to welcome the plane. News outlets suggest that President Bashar al-Assad took refuge in Hungary and would like to try to persuade Donald Trump through Orbán to provide American support for his fallen regime.

Rebel forces took Syria in just 11 days

According to Reuters, Syrian rebels took control of most of the country in just an 11-day-long campaign and occupied even Damascus last night. Crowds are celebrating the fall of the Assad family in the Middle Eastern country’s Homs, Damascus, Hama and other major cities while operations against “terrorist groups” continue.

Western powers are concerned because a globally designated terrorist group – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – has great influence on the forming administration. However, the former al Qaeda affiliate’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, promises a smooth power transition. Furthermore, “caretaker” Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali promises that Syrians will be free to choose their leaders in an upcoming democratic election.

Assad seeking Trump's help from Budapest — Source: **depositphotos.com**

Syria, led by the Alawite Assad family, was a bastion for Russia and Iran in the region, so Israel, among others, felt relieved by the regime’s fall. However, President Bashar al-Assad does not wish to give up yet.

A mysterious Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport after Damascus fell

According to Reuters, media reports talk about a mystery plane taking off from Damascus airport when the Syrian capital was taken by rebel forces. First, it flew to Syria’s coastal region, where a Russian naval base and military airport is located. Then, it suddenly took a U-turn and disappeared from the maps. Although some sources say Assad was murdered on board, Magyar Hang wrote about a mystery plane that landed at Budapest Airport on Saturday evening.

Assad seeking Trump's help from Budapest (2) — Assad getting off a plane before. Is he in Budapest now? Source: Instagram/Syrian Presidency

They could not trace the plane’s flight route since it appeared out of the blue on Flightradar. Furthermore, employees of the Budapest Airport were not allowed to serve the jet. However, units of the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) arrived at the airport. Moreover, everybody was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Neither Orbán nor FM Szijjártó communicated about the event yet, and their offices also remained silent to the questions of Magyar Hang.

According to Bloomberg, Assad sent Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church Ignatius Aphrem II to PM Orbán to discuss the renewed fights in Syria and the state of the Christians in the country. The reason is that Hungary is committed to supporting persecuted Christians through one of the government’s secretariats led by State Secretary for Programmes Assisting Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej.

Bloomberg wrote that the visit had a secret aim. Assad wanted to open diplomatic channels to President Trump, asking for help through the Hungarian prime minister.

Reuters wrote that Syria’s traditional allies, Iran and Russia, are unable to provide help for the overthrown leader due to focus on other crises.

Trump’s reaction

Donald Trump reacted to the situation in his Truth Social account and what he wrote is bad news for Assad:

“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever. Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success. Likewise, Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”

UPDATE: Fake news that a Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport, says the airport

Budapest Airport denied that a Syrian plane landed at Budapest Airport yesterday. They added that such news could undermine public trust towards the airport, Telex reports.

UPDATE 2: Middle East Christians in Hungary’s focus, says FM Szijjártó

Hungary has a vested interest in stability in the Middle East and pays key focus to Christian communities in the region, the foreign minister said on Facebook on Sunday. Péter Szijjártó noted the government’s continued support to Christians in the region. Szijjártó said his ministry had contacted in the past few days those Hungarians living in Syria that were available, adding that none of them had so far requested assistance. The Hungarian embassy in Damascus is temporarily closed, and Hungarians seeking assistance could apply to the embassy in Beirut, which has introduced an extraordinary opening schedule, he said.

Read also:

Hungarian foreign minister: the EU should contact President Bashar al-Assad – read more HERE
Going home for Christmas? Budapest to increase airport shuttle bus frequency – details in THIS article

December 8, 2024

Slovak interior minister: Possible Hungarian terror attack against the Friendship crude oil pipeline

The Slovak interior minister, Šutaj Eštok, talked about a possible terror attack against the Friendship crude oil pipeline. The pipeline delivers Russian crude to Central Europe via Ukraine, and the destinations include Slovakia and Hungary. The minister talked about the possible threat in a debate broadcast by the Slovak public media.

According to the local Hungarian newspaper Új Szó, Šutaj Eštok (Hlas party) said that Slovak authorities found traces pointing toward preparations of a possible terror attack against the country’s critical infrastructure. According to Slovak intelligence services, even organised groups active in Hungary are involved. His debate partner, Juraj Krúpa (SaS), voiced his scepticism concerning the issue, saying that Eštok is trying to calm the public, showing that they are doing what they can to protect the critical infrastructure.

The Friendship crude oil pipeline was built between 1959 and 1964. It connects Russia with Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It goes through Ukraine, and it’s mainly the Hungarian MOL (and its subsidiary in Slovakia) that processes the crude coming through it.

Hlas is a Social Democratic party founded by former PM Peter Pellegrini and dissidents of the Smer (Direction – Social Democracy). They agreed to form a coalition government with Robert Fico’s Smer and the Slovak National Party in October 2023. Fico seems to be a big friend of PM Orbán, supporting him in several European and global issues, including the urge to end the war in Ukraine.

Robert Fico Viktor Orbán new ally oil transit citizenship agreement — Fico and Orbán in Budapest. Photo: FB/Viktor Orbán

Hungarian schools may close or be merged

According to Telex, a proposal would close or merge 16 Hungarian schools in Slovakia due to optimisation. It’s not only Hungarian schools that are involved, as Telex reported that the proposal affects Slovakian schools where the number of children is low.

Based on Napunk, a local Hungarian media outlet, the Fico cabinet has already discussed the proposal with experts but not the institutions.

Before, we wrote about a bill by the cultural ministry that would ban Hungarian language use on trains, buses, trams, and post offices. PM Fico said that his government would not support any setbacks concerning the rights of the indigenous national minorities in Slovakia.

Read also:

Slovak PM Fico may sacrifice his good relations with PM Orbán to keep his governing coalition
According to FM Szijjártó, there is no threat to Hungarian minority language rights in Slovakia

November 30, 2024

Young people planning armed attacks against protected persons in Hungary – US intelligence warns

The Hungarian Counter-Terrorism Centre has raided a pub in Pest, where young people were planning an armed attack on 23 October, the commemoration of the 1956 events, according to US intelligence. The six young people detained included a mixture of boys and girls.

According to Telex, a group of young people was preparing to carry out an armed action on the upcoming national holiday of 23 October. The US Secret Service brought this to the attention of the Hungarian authorities about two weeks ago.

In possession of the information, the Counter-Terrorism Centre raided the Legenda Pub in the 16th district of Budapest, arresting and detaining six young people.

The detained young people were a mixture of girls and boys, but none of them were found to be carrying sharp weapons, only airsoft and deactivated weapons.

The owner of the Legenda Pub told Index that the youths were not yet inside the club but were on their way when the SWAT team intercepted them. They could see what was happening through the window, but they did not know what was happening.

Responding to a question from Index on Monday about the planned armed attack, the government information centre (KTK) said that over the weekend, the Hungarian services received information from their US counterpart that young people were discussing in an online group about a planned operation involving protected persons in the near future.

It also turned out that the photos and information shared in this forum during the monitoring revealed that the young people organising the action were planning to acquire and use weapons. “In view of the international events of recent months, when several leading politicians have been attacked with weapons, the Hungarian services and the Counter-Terrorism Centre are paying special attention to monitoring such information and taking the necessary measures”.

The fate of the arrested young people is not yet clear, but we will be sure to share it with our readers as soon as we have new information.

Read also:

Outrageous: Teenager arrested for planning mosque attack in Hungary – VIDEO
Official: Hungary committed to coalition against Islamic State

October 21, 2024

Official: Hungary committed to coalition against Islamic State

After a meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State held at the US State Department, a government official underlined the need to support Iraq and its wider region against terrorism “related to uncontrolled migration”.

Though the 87-country coalition formed 10 years ago has established that IS is no longer a force of power in Iraq, terrorist groups allied to it are still present in a wider geographical area, mainly in the Middle East and Africa, Péter Sztáray, the foreign ministry state secretary for security and energy policy, told MTI in Washington, DC.

The Iraqi government has said the country still requires international presence, he said, noting that coalition countries will maintain one in some form. Hungarian soldiers are still on the ground in Iraq.

Leaders coalition delegations pledged to aim to raise 394 million US dollars for areas previously liberated from IS in Iraq and Syria, and more than 200 million dollars has already been raised in pledges. At the same time, they issued a statement underlining their commitment to eradicating IS wherever it operates.

He noted that Hungary is launching cooperation with Chad, including humanitarian, economic, and security elements, to contribute to efforts to shore up security and combat migration.

Meanwhile, Sztáray said the 2015 migration wave had proved Hungary right that the uncontrolled influx of migrants undermined European security.

Brussels ‘punishing’ Hungary for ‘protecting its borders’?

szijjártó zsigmond németh brussels migration

Brussels is “punishing” Hungary because it is protecting its border, Barna Pál Zsigmond, a state secretary of the European Union affairs ministry, said on Facebook on Saturday.

Brussels wants to force Hungary to accept 7,000 migrants a year, Zsigmond said, noting the European Commission’s recently issued implementing decision on capacity for asylum procedures under the new migration pact.

The decision requires Hungary to provide 7,716 permanent reception places, 25.7 percent of the total, while it must undertake over 15,000 border procedures in the first year, he said. The number of procedures could rise to three or four times the number of reception places in the following years, he added.

He said Hungary’s quota was a multiple of the French or German quotas and even more than those in Bulgaria and Greece, along the Western Balkans migrant route.

“It is unacceptable and completely irrational that just two member states, Hungary and Italy, should be responsible for over half of the reception capacity on the EU frontiers,” he added.

He said the quotas were based on statistics showing illegal migration over the past three years, adding that the formula “punished” member states that had protected their border from illegal migrants and reported their numbers to the EU.

He said the measure was a “cynical attempt by the pro-war, Sorosist left-wing in Brussels” to keep politically motivated migration processes in place, and he affirmed Hungary’s position on protecting its borders. “We will not allow Hungary to become a country of migrants,” he said.

Read also:

August 11, 2024

Hungarian state secretary: Vienna terrorism threat ‘dire warning’ for Europe

The murder of children in Southport and the threat of terrorism in Vienna are a “dire warning for Europe”, Bence Rétvári, the parliamentary state secretary of the interior ministry, said in a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday.

“The safety of the public is at grave risk because of migration,” Rétvári said, pointing to the cancellation of Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, “the most liveable city in Europe”, because of the threat of terrorism, and the murder of three young girls and the injury of eleven more people by a migrant youth from an African background in the UK, leading to unrest on the streets there. He also noted that Algerian migrants had recently stabbed to death and beheaded a Spanish man on a street in the centre of Valencia.

rétvári bence migrants — Source: Facebook/Rétvári Bence

“Shocking events are taking place on a daily basis from Sweden to Italy that would never have happened without migration,” he said. He added that crimes were being committed not only by those who had recently arrived in Europe, but by the children of migrants, too, “because Europe can’t and doesn’t want to integrate them”, he added.

“Pro-migration politicians still can’t face the reality: they advocate for tolerance and thus sacrifice public safety,” he said.

He reiterated Hungary’s position against illegal migration and for protecting the country’s borders and noted that while Hungary’s crime rate had fallen close to 60pc, the public safety situation in pro-migration countries had deteriorated. While Hungary hosts the matches of Israel’s national football team because of the highest levels of security in Europe, the number of anti-Semitic attacks in pro-migration countries has shot up, he added.

“European citizens can only be safe if there are fundamental changes to the policy of Brussels and the goal becomes stopping migration instead of facilitating it,” he said.

Read also:

Taylor Swift in Budapest? Fans heartbroken as 3 Vienna concerts cancelled

August 11, 2024

Taylor Swift in Budapest? Fans heartbroken as 3 Vienna concerts cancelled

taylor swift concert vienna terrorism budapest

Taylor Swift fans were left deeply disappointed after her Vienna concerts were cancelled due to a terror threat. Some fans lost money on hotels, while others undertook long journeys in vain. Hungarian fans have now started a petition to move the cancelled concerts to Budapest.

3 sold-out Taylor Swift concerts cancelled in Vienna

Austria’s Interior Ministry announced that two people had been arrested on suspicion of planning an attack at Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts. Security measures were initially tightened, but the decision was ultimately made to cancel all three shows.

One fan, who was already in Vienna when the news broke, revealed to RTL that she had planned to attend all three concerts and had spent about HUF 400,000 (more than EUR 1,000) on her accommodation. Another fan said she had booked a hotel in Vienna but decided not to travel due to safety concerns, even though she couldn’t get a refund.

Vienna’s compensation

Many fans had gone to great lengths for the concerts; one drove for 17 hours, while another flew from Hawaii partly to attend.

In response to the widespread disappointment, Vienna has offered various forms of compensation, including free entry to several museums for ticket holders until 11 August. Meanwhile, Hungarian Swifties have launched a petition to bring the cancelled shows to Budapest, hoping to give the star’s fans another chance to see her perform.

Read also:

In 2023: Taylor Swift will not come to Hungary despite Budapest Mayor’s request

Featured image: depositphotos.com

August 10, 2024

EU Presidency: interior ministers discuss security, migration in Budapest

European Union interior ministers discussed the bloc’s security, linking large-scale IT systems and the external dimensions of migration at an informal meeting in Budapest on Monday, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said.

The ministers discussed “the future of the area based on freedom, security and the enforcement of law”, and reviewed the tasks of the next five years related to home affairs, Pintér told a press conference.

He said they had identified the shortcomings that had led to the EU’s security becoming vulnerable.

The officials, he said, had agreed that the EU’s security could not be guaranteed without cooperation and that the bloc needed to be quicker in responding to challenges.

They had also agreed, he added, on the need to set up a central economic fund in the interest of carrying out the necessary tasks.

Concerning the EU interoperability package aimed at linking large-scale IT systems in the fields of border control and asylum, Pinter said the bloc was expected to introduce a border control system around October-November that would “significantly improve internal security and aid the fight against terrorism”.

The meeting also touched on the external dimension of migration, Pinter said, adding that the meeting’s participants had been in agreement that it was impossible to make significant progress without cooperation with third countries.

He said they had also discussed the need to develop an institutional system for repatriating those who are ineligible for asylum as well as for speeding up repatriations and making them more effective.

But this was only possible through cooperation, Pintér said, adding that it also required setting up a joint economic fund.

Frightening: Bomb threats and evacuations in several schools in Hungary

Schools in several cities across Hungary, including a primary school in Budapest, had to be evacuated due to bomb threats on Monday morning, the Hungarian police confirmed.

According to Magyar Hang, a total of seven Hungarian schools had to be evacuated on this Monday, 13 May after receiving bomb threats. Two schools were affected both in Szeged and in Szombathely, and one school each in Kulcs, Nyíregyháza, and Budapest. The evacuation reportedly took place in all of these institutions just after 8 AM.

As the local site to Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, szon.hu writes the school in Nyíregyháza was threatened via telephone, with the caller claiming that an explosive device placed in the school would be detonated at 11:30. The other institutions affected received bomb threats during the night and in the early morning via e-mail.

The report from Magyar Hang on the shocking events was confirmed by the Hungarian police force.

A school in Budapest also received bomb threats on Monday

No official statement was released about the bomb scare at a primary school in Budapest, but two parents told Magyar Hang that the school was evacuated after 8 AM, with children being led to a nearby playground.

The schools were thoroughly searched, but no explosives were found. In some cases, classes resumed after the bomb search was completed – for example, children returned to school just before noon at the primary school in the capital – while for others, the school day was cancelled altogether on Monday.

Magyar Hang contacted the school director and the police to find out details about the primary school in Budapest, as it was not mentioned in earlier press releases, to ask how many schools altogether were affected by the bomb threats, and whether there was any connection between them. So far, they have not received any answers to their questions.

Index.hu writes that the National Police Headquarters replied to their inquiries stating that the investigation into the bomb threats is under way at the National Investigation Office of the Police Department, but that they are unable to provide further information since it is an ongoing investigation.

Similar bomb threats occurred in Slovakia a week ago

As Magyar Hang highlights, educational institutions located in Slovakia have received similar bomb threats recently. On the same Monday as in Hungary, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava was sent an e-mail about explosives in the building and had to be evacuated immediately.

Furthermore, on Tuesday last week (7 May), a total of 1,543 schools in the country had to be put under bomb alert, with 110 banks and 40 electronics shops also threatened with explosive devices. In all cases, the buildings were evacuated, and bomb squads were deployed to the scene to search the premises with bomb-sniffing dogs. No explosives were found at any site.

According to the report from 444.hu, the headmasters of the schools targeted on Tuesday received threatening emails from a Russian address written in Slovakian. The message read, among other things: “Wherever you are, the mujahideen will kill you in your cities. There is a bomb on the school grounds.”

The cases are currently under investigation by the National Law Enforcement Agency in Slovakia, treated as acts of terrorism because of the high number and the severity of the incidents. The perpetrator(s) of the crimes could face up to 20 to 25 years in prison if captured.

So far, there is no proven link between the multiple bomb threat cases in Hungary and Slovakia.

Read also:

May 15, 2024

Outrageous: Teenager arrested for planning mosque attack in Hungary – VIDEO

A court has ordered the pre-trial detention of a 15-year-old male from Erd, south of Budapest, on suspicion of planning an attack on a mosque in Hungary, the National Bureau of Investigation said on police.hu on Thursday.

A foreign law enforcement service notified the counter-terrorism TEK centre on the morning of April 29 in connection with a TikTok video post about a planned attack in a mosque in Hungary and a subsequent post announcing an impending live-streamed attack.

Law enforcement agencies then took swift action to protect religious places of worship, communities and institutions in Hungary.

After several hours of attempting to identify the subject, police discovered that the teenager had followed online the Australian man who killed 51 people in New Zealand in March 2019, during which he live-streamed his attack on two mosques, the police statement said.

Teenager arrested

Police set out to intercept the teen as he took a scheduled bus to Kazincbarcika, a town in north-east Hungary. In the meantime, the suspect travelled to meet his girlfriend, whom he had threatened to kill. He was taken into custody at Kazincbarcika Police Station on suspicion of harassment, it added.

The teenager is now being held in a secure facility in Budapest for questioning on suspicion of planning to commit an act of terrorism.

Read also:

May 2, 2024

Government increased the threat of terrorism in Hungary? – here is the official answer

Hungarian authorities have no information about preparing any terrorist act that could pose a direct threat to the safety of the Hungarian people, counter-terrorism force TEK said on Tuesday, noting that a medium-level (level-3) alert was in place in the country.

TEK said in a statement that police have tightened the protection of diplomatic missions, the surveillance of public administration institutions, and inspections at border crossing points.

TEK continuously communicates with law enforcement and other partner institutions and evaluates information.

It said TEK provides for the safety of the Hungarian people with all possible means and is prepared to take necessary measures without delay if need be.

The terror level 3 has been in force in Hungary since 2016, and this has not changed following the Defence Council meeting on Sunday.

The increase or decrease of the level is ordered by the Minister of Interior, either on his own authority or on the initiative of the Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee, with the agreement of the Defence Council.

After the Iranian action against Israel, the neighbouring countries did not change their terror classifications, so the medium level, which had been established much earlier, remained.

As we wrote before, according to Magyar Nemzet, the terror alert level in Hungary has been heightened following Sunday’s Defence Council meeting, details HERE.

read also – Hamas present in Hungary: their agent worked from Budapest

April 16, 2024

BREAKING NEWS – Terror alert heightened in Hungary, says pro-government site – UPDATE

According to Magyar Nemzet, the terror alert level in Hungary has been heightened following Sunday’s Defence Council meeting. However, the government has yet to issue an official statement.

As previously mentioned, Viktor Orbán convened the Defence Council on Sunday in response to Iran’s attack on Israel. Following the meeting, he expressed a commitment to safeguarding Hungarian families from the repercussions of global conflicts. More details are available here.

According to a Magyar Nemzet article, the Prime Minister’s announcement prompted an escalation in the terror alert level, as per his request.

Elevated terror alert: what does this entail?

It means enhanced intelligence sharing, heightened security measures for high-profile facilities and dignitaries and increased police presence in public spaces, mass gatherings and Jewish-affiliated institutions.

It is probable that security measures for key figures in the country, such as the Prime Minister, the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the House, members of the Government or heads of the judiciary, have already been bolstered. Citizens can expect to encounter more armed patrols in major urban areas, and the Hungarian Defence Forces may also be deployed.

Magyar Nemzet reports that the heightened security measures will remain in place until the situation improves or could be escalated further if the threat persists.

Terror alert classification in Hungary

Hungary defines the terrorist threat level on a four-point scale in accordance with relevant legislation (Government Decision No.1824/2015 (19.XI.) on the uniform implementation order of counter-terrorism tasks), wherein 1 represents the highest level and 4 the lowest.

The Minister of the Interior, with the Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee’s recommendation or independently, holds the authority to issue, modify or abolish these classifications with the Defence Council’s approval.

Read also: Budapest Airport cancelled flight to Israel!

UPDATE

Government increased the threat of terrorism in Hungary? – here is the official answer

April 16, 2024

Orbán cabinet expresses its condolences to Russia for the attack in Moscow

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó phoned Sergei Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, on Saturday to express his “deepest condolences” over the terrorist attack on a concert hall that killed at least a hundred people on the outskirts of Moscow during the previous night.

He told Lavrov that Hungary resolutely condemns the attack in which innocent people had been killed, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Hungary stands with those mourning their loss, Szijjártó told Lavrov. “Those are in our prayers, and we wish a swift and full recovery to those who were injured in the terrorist attack,” he said.

Lavrov told Szijjártó that Russian authorities would do everything they could to round up those responsible for the terrorist attack. The Hungarian minister Szijjártó said that in a new development the Islamic State terrorist organisation had claimed responsibility for the attack and 11 of the suspected perpetrators had been detained.

Szijjártó told his Russian colleague that Hungary condemns “in the strongest possible terms” every form of terrorism and will continue to participate in international anti-terrorism cooperation.

He said the ministry had not received information about Hungarian victims or casualties. Szijjártó makes no mention of the Russian bombing, which terrorises Ukraine on a daily basis.