Bomb threats sent via email on Wednesday, November 11 forced the evacuation of schools across Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the wider UK in a coordinated wave of disruption.
Victoria Primary School Evacuation
Victoria Primary School in Newtownards was among the institutions directly impacted on Wednesday morning. Students and staff were evacuated to a nearby church following an alert.
“We are evacuating due to another threat to schools on advice of PSNI,” the school posted on social media.
Police Service of Northern Ireland officers confirmed they received reports of a concerning email sent to a large number of schools across Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland stated they were conducting urgent enquiries and liaising with affected facilities. The Department of Education advised schools to remain open “unless otherwise advised by the PSNI”.
Did You Know? The Education Authority said that the latest email message shared similarities with a bogus threat sent last month that police declared a hoax.
Schools respond to threats with checks or evacuations
While some institutions evacuated, others chose to remain open while completing precautionary checks. Londonderry Primary School in Newtownards informed parents that its checks found nothing of concern.
“All the signs point towards another hoax and on that basis we have continued with business as usual,” Londonderry Primary School said in a message to parents.
St Brigid’s Primary & Nursery School also reported receiving a threat but kept its doors open. In a post they said the school remains open but said: “This matter is being taken extremely seriously and is currently being investigated by the PSNI and the Education Authority.” Blythefield Primary School in Sandy Row confirmed receipt of a similar message as well.
Elected officials condemn disruptive bomb threats
Elected officials voiced sharp criticism over the disruption caused to educational facilities. Lawmakers described the actions as irresponsible and called for swift accountability.
“I strongly condemn the reckless and deeply irresponsible act of bomb threats being sent to schools this morning,” said Paula Bradshaw, Alliance Party MLA, on social media.
“Parents, pupil, teachers and school staff do not need this stress and anxiety,” said Deborah Erskine, DUP Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA. “Enough is enough. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
High School instructed to wait on the AstroTurf. Police Scotland said that the messages were “immediately assessed and are being treated as hoaxes”, adding that the emails “do not represent a credible threat”. Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit launched extensive enquiries to trace the source, maintaining that the emails did not represent a credible threat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which schools were evacuated in Northern Ireland?
Victoria Primary School in Newtownards evacuated to a nearby church following police advice. Other schools, such as Londonderry Primary School and Blythefield Primary School, completed security checks and remained open.
What did police and educational authorities say about the credibility of the threats?
The Education Authority and the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated they had no evidence of any credible threat to schools. Police Scotland similarly assessed the messages sent across the UK as hoaxes.
How does this incident compare to previous threats?
The Education Authority said that the email messages shared similarities with a bogus threat sent last month involving up to 300 schools, which was also declared a hoax.
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