Anonymous reports of a bomb in various locations in the Black Sea resort city of Batumi came from abroad, from a phone number of a minor Georgian citizen, the State Security Service of Georgia said, Report informs via the Georgian media.
In connection with the reports received, the counter-terrorism units of the State Security Service of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country took special measures in Batumi shopping centers and educational institutions, where no explosives were found.
Visitors and employees of several shopping centers in the city Batumi Mall, Grand Mall, Metro Mall and Batumi Plaza were urgently evacuated on January 21 due to the anonymous bomb report, and January 20 the Batumi-Istanbul flight from the Batumi International Airport had to be delayed for two hour.
The State Security Service of Georgia opened a criminal case on the fact of false reporting of terrorism. As part of the ongoing operational and investigative measures to identify the initiator of the messages, the relevant departments of partner countries were notified to receive assistance.
In addition, false reports of a terrorist attack in the shopping center Galeria Tbilisi on December 30, 2023 and January 17 this year were also received from abroad, and they were associated with international network games involving minors from different countries, including Georgia.
According to the State Security Service, a group of specific individuals abroad has also been identified as the initiator of these messages. In connection with this fact, the Anti-Terrorism Center of the State Security Service of Georgia is conducting an investigation.
