Like eleven middle and high schools of the Reims Academy, five schools in Aube, including the Chrestien high school in Troyes, received a threatening email of a terrorist nature on the night of Sunday April 24 to Monday April 25, 2024 , shortly before midnight thirty.
In this email sent to the ENT (the digital work space which allows teachers to contact high school students and their parents) of each high school and college, the author says "coming from the Islamic State" and claims to want to “blow up the entire establishment” using C4 (an explosive mainly used by the army and demolition companies).
Following this event, the attack alert was triggered during the morning.
The middle and high school students threatened by this message (the Delaunay college in Lusigny-sur-Barse, the Chrestien high schools in Troyes and Marie de Champagne, still in Troyes, Joliot-Curie and Diderot, in Romilly-sur-Seine) were confined.
In conjunction with the authorities, the rectorate and the departmental National Education services defined a protocol which was communicated to the heads of the establishments concerned.
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One of the students from the Chrestien high school in Troyes went to her school at 7:20 a.m.
“The police, who were already there, searched us without explaining why,” says the young girl.
In total “incomprehension”, the high school student and her classmates were confined outside the establishment then in the playground, while waiting for their parents.
“It was a bit scary, it all seemed unreal,” she said, still trembling.
The teenager became aware of the situation when her friends explained to her that a threatening message had been sent on the ENT.
“I think everyone received the email but it was quickly deleted,” supposes the 18-year-old student.
Despite this event, the latter feels safe in her high school “since the gates are closed and you have to present a card to enter the building”.
For her part, the teenager's mother claims not to have been panicked by this major operation.
She said to herself “that it was a simple hack, as for the high schools in Hauts-de-France (also targeted by threats in recent days Editor's note as well as establishments in the Ile-de-France region and even in Alsace).
On the other hand, many questions were circulated since an open day was held within the school the day before the threatening message was sent.
Many people believe that a malicious individual could have taken advantage of this demonstration "to plant explosives in the high school", explains the mother while the deminers intervene in the building, closed for the whole day.
The ENT being blocked, the parents of the students are also incomprehensible and want to have answers to their questions.
Complaints will be filed to allow initial investigations.
Therefore, access to ENT accounts has been suspended in the academy.
Law enforcement is monitoring the sites targeted by these threats and mobile security teams could go there if necessary.
The Reims academy also specifies that listening units will be set up “according to needs” in order to allow students and staff to communicate.
The mayor of Troyes immediately reacted with a press release.
François Baroin says he condemns “with the greatest firmness these intolerable threats”.
The elected official also wishes to provide his “unwavering” support to all students, parents and the educational community.
While the Vigipirate plan was raised to the “Emergency Attack” level following the Moscow attack, securing “Trojan educational establishments is the subject of even more sustained attention”, specifies the mayor.