UK schools get hundreds of hoax bomb threats in emails
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Hoax bomb threat emails hit hundreds of schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland on October 19.
- Police say the threats are not real. Cyber crime teams are now hunting the sender.
- Some schools closed or evacuated. Most stayed open. No device was ever found.
Hundreds of schools across the United Kingdom got a scary email on Monday morning. The email warned of a bomb inside the school building.
Police quickly said it was a hoax. No bomb was ever found.
What happened
On Monday, October 19, schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland opened the same threatening email. The email claimed an explosive device was hidden inside the school. It reached both primary and secondary schools.
In Northern Ireland, up to 300 schools reported getting the same message. The Police Service of Northern Ireland, or PSNI, said the email came from outside the UK. Officers started urgent inquiries to find the sender.
In Scotland, Police Scotland received more than 300 calls about the emails. The force said the messages were a hoax. Its Cyber and Fraud Unit began extensive inquiries to trace the source.
Schools in more than half of Scotland's 32 council areas received the emails. The confirmed areas include Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, the Scottish Borders, and Argyll and Bute. Highland and Aberdeenshire said their schools received nothing.
Many Scottish schools were still on their October holiday. That limited the disruption.
In Edinburgh, only teachers were in school for a training day. Four primary schools evacuated their staff when the emails arrived.
The schools were Fox Covert, Leith, Queensferry, and Towerbank. Teachers were sent home to wait for news.
In Glasgow, pupils were already back in class. As many as 192 schools or institutions in the city received the email. A few evacuated for a very short time before lessons resumed.
The city's education director, John McGhee, wrote to all parents. He reassured them that their children were safe.
In Northern Ireland, some schools closed for the day. Stephen Baine is the principal of St Colman's Primary School in Lambeg.
He told reporters his school moved 400 pupils out of the building at about 8:50 in the morning. That is the busiest time of the school day.
Northern Ireland's education minister, Paul Givan, spoke about the email. He said it was signed "Allahu Akbar". He said it threatened that Sharia law would be brought into the country.
He stressed that police do not treat the threat as viable. He condemned the disruption to young people's education.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson of the PSNI also spoke. He said police take such incidents very seriously. He added that the risk to the public is low and inquiries are ongoing.
The Times reported one more detail. At least one local authority suspects the emails were written with artificial intelligence.
The messages appeared designed to look Islamist in origin. Police have not confirmed who wrote them.
Why it matters
Every threat must be treated as real until police say otherwise. Schools cannot take chances with children. That is why so many evacuated or closed their doors.
The scale of this hoax is unusual. The EIS teaching union said it was "very unusual" to see Scotland and Northern Ireland hit at the same time.
General secretary Andrea Bradley said schools responded with calm. She said they followed police advice.
Hoaxes still carry a real cost. They use up police time and school time. They frighten parents and staff.
Edinburgh's education convener, James Dalgleish, spoke about the day. He said he was relieved it was a hoax. He added that he was frustrated someone would target schools and young people.
The timing made it worse. The emails landed on a Monday morning, at the start of the school week. In Northern Ireland, children were arriving just as head teachers read the threat.
For more on how schools handle safety scares, read our explainers on the school incident in France and the campus alert in Colorado.
What happens next
Police in both countries are still hunting the sender. Cyber crime officers will trace where the emails came from. The PSNI said its inquiries are ongoing.
Schools will review how they handle threatening emails. Parents should watch for messages from their own school. If a school sends an alert, follow its advice.
Most schools are now back to normal. Police say there is no ongoing risk to the public. The sender is still unknown.
When police learn more, they will share it.
One email caused a day of fear across two countries. The person behind it wanted alarm. What they got instead was calm schools, fast police work, and an investigation that is still running.
This article is for information only and is not legal or safety advice. Always follow the instructions of your school and local police in an emergency.
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