“Pranks of this type are common all over the world. They are often carried out by people with mental problems. But also from those who just want to make a fuss.” – says Mr. Vasilis Papakostas “K”.Director of Electronic Prosecution, in connection with threatening emails arrived yesterday morning at the airport “El. Venizelos” and in six major hospitals. Emails claiming a bomb had been planted and containing references to Islam caused an immediate outcry. Police officers arrived on the scene, accompanied by an explosives disposal team, and dogs specially trained to detect explosives also arrived at the airport.

However, hospital workers were not notified of the emergency. According to Mr. Giorgos Ferentinos, president of evangelism workers, “the operation of the hospital continued as usual.” Ms. Matina Pagoni, President of the Panhellenic Medical Association and President of the Scientific Council of the GNA “G. Gennimatas”, one of the hospitals, where the letter was also received, stressed that “the administration got involved, we continued our work. Bombs in six hospitals? It could only be a joke. A little later, a newspaper was distributed in the hospital “Gennimatas”, which allegedly contained a photograph of the criminal. Who plants the bomb and sends the photo? the doctor asked.

The mass of e-mails (sent in addition to “El. Venizelos” to the hospitals of Pammakaristos, “G. Gennimatas”, Tzanio, Paydon, Evangelismos and “Erikos Dunan”) “pointed” in the direction of the hoax. However, from the point of view of the cybercrime prosecutor’s office, each case is considered a serious threat. “We follow a specific process to track down where the email came from. We treat every case equally. The difference lies in the categories that will be formulated later,” emphasizes Mr. Papakostas.

Discovery process

A combination of steps is used to determine the source of the email. Some emails have some distinctive elements that lead more easily to the sender. The provider is also searched so that electronic traces can be traced. “Many times international cooperation is required,” Mr. Papakostas emphasizes, but the chances of finding the perpetrator are very high. The best thing, he says, is to be able to trace the email itself sent in order to have solid evidence that will go into the case file.