KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia – A news source in Malaysia is reporting that fake bomb threats that disrupted several schools and businesses across the country on Tuesday are connected to the same email threats issued to 70 schools and businesses in Jamaica last week.

According to a report from Malaysia’s Daily Express, no bombs were found at any of the 19 schools that received the anonymous emails claiming there were explosives buried on their grounds.

In the report, the country’s Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said full security flushes were performed by the Royal Malaysia Police at all the affected schools and no evidence of any explosives was detected.

He added that investigators believe the threats were made by a disturbed individual with a possible history of being abused as a child.

“The original contents of the email were written in English then translated to Bahasa Malaysia using a translation app. The same content from this email was also sent to 70 schools in Jamaica on November 12, 2023, through the same provider,” Razaruddin said in a statement.

“We feel both incidents are connected and are done by an individual who perhaps was abused and neglected as a child but has the knowledge in computer software, enough to keep their identity a secret.

In Jamaica, a suspect was taken into custody on November 10, as a hospital and a court building became the latest institutions to be affected by a series of bomb threats. On November 14, the individual accused of making a bomb threat against the Spanish Town Court House, appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court to face charges of inciting public mischief. He was identified as Michael Glenford, a wholesale and liquor store owner.

READ: Business owner linked to bomb threat at Spanish Town courthouse remanded

During the proceedings, the Crown disclosed that the phone number used for the bomb threat was linked to Glenford.