Press briefing of Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek concerning current security situation, on Friday 12th January 2007

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's extraordinary press briefing of the Prime Minister of the CR Mirek Topolánek. Also the Police President Vladislav Husák and the Minister of Interior Ivan Langer attend this briefing. I give the floor to the Prime Minister.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I greet you, good afternoon. With regard to the fact that various speculations have emerged concerning dangers that threaten some schools in Prague we were conscious necessity to calm public and to calm you, as well, and to provide you with necessary information. I will give the floor to the Police President Husák, of course, to give you all the details. Yesterday afternoon the Police received an anonymous letter, which had been addressed to headmasters of certain schools. This case was immediately analysed, it started to be solved in a standard way. This case is categorized as medium-dangerous; it means it was not possible to throw it into the bin and therefore all investigations have been done and the relevant measures have been taken connecting to this case. Standard measures using standard methods are still under way, I would say. Owing to the fact that an information leak occurred, this information is necessary, as we want to calm everybody. All headmasters could decide whether to leave children at school or to offer them an alternative programme, or to leave them at their homes. Majority of headmasters finally decided to leave children at their homes. About all details, from the point of view of security measures, you will be informed by the Police President. To conclude my introductory speech, I would like to say that both the Minister of Interior and the Prime Minister have been kept informed the whole time; we have been informed both from the point of view of actions and measures necessary for elimination and minimizing all risks. Thank you.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: I give the floor to the Minister of Interior.

Ivan Langer, Minister of Interior and Informatics: I will just describe the situation in an analogous way – information received analysis of the seriousness, interpreted as serious, measures taken. The basic objective was to inform immediately all those who were to be informed. There were headmasters at that moment. It was upon their decision, whether children would go to school or not. An alternative programme had been prepared, municipal council had been informed. I am, at this moment, content with what it is going on in spite of the fact that it is very complicated operation from the logistic point of view because all objects had to be inspected. I am convinced that I can, at this moment, judge performance of all security units as very professional and it was shown in this case that we have prepared all the mechanisms regarding our response to these situations. I would like to say that one thing is to manage the situation; the second thing is to produce maximum effort so that offenders of those threats were uncovered. And we will do our best to be successful. Thank you.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: I subsequently thank the Prime Minister and also the Minister of Interior. I give the floor to the Police President.

Vladislav Husák, Police President: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, as it has been said here by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior, the Police of the CR has received an anonymous threat. It is necessary to say that a lot of those anonymous threats arrive at the Police every day. We analyse each of them to a certain extent. This anonymous threat however, was analysed as medium-dangerous and from that reason those standard mechanisms started to operate. In afternoon and evening hours a session of the intelligence group was held, the group analysed the situation and determined or proposed the respective police officers further procedure. Being helped by Prague police Department and further subjects, we have taken measures in those incriminated objects. We were in contact with school headmasters and with the Prague Municipal Council. We are closely cooperating with the Municipal Police and further subjects. Those measures had been taken since evening hours. At present these objects, there are more than 30 of them, are under the police control. In some of them a limited activities are done, in some of them activities are reduced. Pyrotechnical examinations have been performed at these places. There were no discoveries of a dangerous object. I am of the opinion that all the steps and systems, which had been activated, started to operate in proper and appropriate time and in requested quality. I suppose it is necessary to inform the public that this threat was here, but on the other hand I would like to calm the public, as it is not necessary to be afraid of staying in these objects. And the most precious we have, i.e. our children, are safe and in peace at present. Thank you.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: I thank the Police President. Ladies and gentlemen, now there is time for couple of your questions. TV Markíza.

Martin Maruniak, TV Markíza: I have a question perhaps for the Police President and the Prime Minister; you said that the threat was a medium-dangerous one. Could you specify those traits, or the threat? That was the first question. And the second thing - was it, in your opinion, a psychopath or was it a deliberate crime?

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: You yourself know well that from the point of view of further investigation of the offender or an author of the anonymous letter, nobody will provide any concrete data. I think it is understandable, in fact. If the Police President is like to be more concrete, I will certainly not, as I am of the opinion that it is necessary to uncover such crimes. The detection rate is not very low. I would give time police and investigating organs to catch the offender; in case it was a provocation, it would be less significant offence from the point of view of people's security. But with regard to the fact that all organs must operate, all the security system has to be started and it was not for nothing. Those costs will amount to some hundreds thousands crowns.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Thank you, further question.

Martin Maruniak, TV Markíza: And was it a deliberate crime?

Ivan Langer, Minister of Interior and Informatics: Try to be more patient at the moment. Two levels of the action are in progress just now. The first one is analysis of seriousness of the threat, inspection of places indicated, informing the public – it is one level. The second level is the author himself and you certainly understand that we cannot be quite open in this case.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Further question, please.

Luboš Rosí, ČT: I would like to ask, how large the action is from the point of view of the police structure, whether you can say how many people is engaged and how long the police measures will last.

Vladislav Husák, Police President: As I have already said, the action is running since yesterday's afternoon. It concerns exclusively the territory of the capital city of Prague. We are interested in more than 30 objects. I cannot tell you the exact number of policemen at the moment, but there must be more than 100 hundred of them. Of course, the structure, as the Minister of Interior prompts, includes the respective police departments, i.e. in this action there are engaged uniformed policemen, pyrotechnists, and constabulary, in certain place also the traffic police, secret police, Criminal Investigation Department both of the regional level and the national level, i.e. the Department for Detection of Organized Crime. As to the further development, as I have already said in my introductory speech, this part of objects is secured and we will care for these objects using our reinforced guards for several days. Of course, it will be done based on analysed information that we will obtain based on the activities of our intelligence group. Therefore it is possible to expect that these objects will be objects of our attention for several days.

Jakub Pokorný, MfD: In case of further days, it is advisable to send children to school or to leave them at home?

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I think that not even now, fortunately we have a week-end ahead of us, not even now the Police could order termination of lessons. It was under competences of headmasters, it was their responsibility to decide on further procedure. They have been informed on the extent of danger and therefore also in the following days it will be under competences of headmasters how to solve the situation, as they will have information necessary for the decision. I would just like to say that, in spite of the fact it is not evident, this situation is quite frequent. It is rather standard if somebody announces that there is a bomb in a cinema or a student announces that something will be happening in a school. Analysing is quite complicated in case of such a number of objects; nevertheless, with regard to the character of this anonymous letter I must say that the situation is quite standard.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, are there any further questions? One more question of the TV Markíza.

Martin Maruniak, TV Markíza: A question for the Police President. You said a minute age that the action of the Police was correct ... inarticulate ... those children. We were informed about it by the Congress Centre that it had been organized by the Police and that there were 15 children there. Can you say whether it was necessary to organize such action?

Ivan Langer, Minister of Interior and Informatics: It was quite welcome action and I very appreciate this initiative, the initiative of the Prague Municipal Council, which had concluded that we had some 30 schools here that represented certain number of children and with regard to the fact that some parents received the information late at night, they were not able to ensure for their children their own programme. It means that for those parents, who were not able to ensure their own programme, an alternative programme was prepared by the Prague Municipal Council. So, it was a kind of a bonus for parents and children who would have had to go to school, and I am very pleased that the Prague Municipal Council has taken this measure. The fact that it was shown later on that number of children was not so high is positive, anyway. We prefer criticism for preparing something to face the situation in which there would be some 300 or 400 children waif and we would have had to solve what to do.

Jakub Pokorný, MfD: If I understand well, several schools receive the threat in the Tuesdays´ post. Could you describe the anonymous letter?

Ivan Langer, Minister of Interior and Informatics: No, I will give the floor to the Police President, but it was not like this.

Vladislav Husák, Police President: I have not such information either; I am surprised you have it. I know about one letter, which was addressed to the Prague Police department. I do not know and I have no information saying that some of headmasters had been addressed by the same or by other letter of the same type.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Ladies and gentlemen, one more question of Česká elevize.

Luboš Rosí, ČT: May I ask for one more question? Can you indicate a bit what the role of the Christian school, of the religion is? Can you specify why just Christian schools? Does it result from the anonymous letter?

Ivan Langer, Minister of Interior and Informatics: It results. That was one of aspects, which were part of the analysis and consideration of the extent of seriousness of that threat. And with regard to the fact that it was one of arguments, which was in favour of increased degree of jeopardy, there were measures taken accordingly. Yes, it is aimed at these schools and the religious aspect plays a role in it.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Is there any furher question? It is not so. So, I thank all participants.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I thank you too, and I hope that you will calm the Czech public and Czech children and that you will not extent this threat unnecessarily. Thank you.

Viera Júdtová, press unit of the Office of the Government of the CR: Thank you and good-bye.