Threatening emails sent to more than 300 schools across Northern Ireland on Monday are now being treated as a hoax, the Education Authority (EA) has confirmed.
Police launched an urgent investigation after reports that a number of schools had received a menacing message on Monday morning. The EA has now said the PSNI, following “proactive police enquiries”, have confirmed they are dealing with the incident as a hoax.
An EA spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn incidents of this nature and the unnecessary concern and disruption they cause for pupils, families and wider school communities.”
They added that enquiries are continuing, but “at this stage it is believed that more than 300 schools received the emails. Similar emails may also have been received by some schools across [the] UK.”
Related: Bomb threats to approximately 300 NI schools confirmed as widespread ‘hoax’
While the exact wording has not been released, the nature of Monday’s messages is understood to be similar to bomb‑hoax style emails which caused widespread alarm in over 150 schools in the Republic of Ireland last week, and to other template-style threats seen in parts of Great Britain.
Despite the scale of the email circulation, the EA said that “while some disruption was caused, the majority of schools remained open”.
“We have worked closely with the PSNI throughout the incident, communicated updates to schools and provided support and reassurance,” the spokesperson continued.
“We thank school leaders and staff for their professional response to a difficult and challenging situation.”
Police enquiries into the source of the emails are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the PSNI on 101 or via the online non‑emergency reporting form, and to call 999 in an emergency.
