Hundreds of Northern Ireland schools targeted with threatening emails

Hundreds of schools across Northern Ireland were targeted with threatening emails on Monday, prompting concern among parents, pupils and staff before police confirmed the messages are being treated as a hoax.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said up to 300 schools reported receiving the same email, which contained a generalised threat. Similar messages are also believed to have been sent to schools elsewhere in the UK.

Following enquiries and checks, police said nothing suspicious had been found and that the emails are believed to have originated from outside the UK.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the incident had caused understandable concern and disruption across school communities.

"We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we understand the concern in the community, not to mention the disruption it has caused in some school communities and for students and parents," he said.

"Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low. We will continue to liaise with schools impacted and have been working closely with the Department of Education and the Education Authority to provide reassurance."

The Department of Education confirmed it was aware of the threatening emails and said it was continuing to work alongside the PSNI as investigations continue.

Education Minister Paul Givan condemned those responsible for the messages and sought to reassure school communities after police confirmed they were treating the incident as a hoax.

“I want to absolutely condemn the actions of those who sought to disrupt our education system today by issuing threatening emails to our schools,” he said.

“The PSNI has now confirmed that they consider these emails to be a hoax with similar emails received by some schools across the UK. I want to reassure schools that following checks, the PSNI has not found anything untoward at this time. Schools should continue to operate as normal.”

The minister acknowledged the incident had caused significant alarm and distress for pupils, parents and school staff, and said some schools had taken the decision to close in the interests of safety.

The Education Authority (EA) said it had worked closely with the PSNI throughout the incident, providing updates, support and reassurance to schools.

A spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn incidents of this nature and the unnecessary concern and disruption they cause for pupils, families and wider school communities.”

The spokesperson added that while some disruption occurred, the majority of schools remained open.

Political representatives from across Northern Ireland also condemned those responsible.

Upper Bann MLA John Stewart said it was reassuring that the Department of Education was not treating the email as a viable threat, while urging parents to monitor official communications and avoid sharing unverified information online.

Glenn Barr described the incident as completely unacceptable, stating that schools should be places where children feel safe and secure.

Aontú representative Daniel Connolly, whose daughters were among pupils affected by the disruption, said the fear caused by the incident was real regardless of whether the threat ultimately proved to be a hoax.

“Standing in a freezing cold car park waiting to collect them, I saw the worry and frustration on the faces of other parents,” he said. “Beneath it all was something no parent should have to experience when sending their children to school, fear.”

The former teacher also paid tribute to school leaders and staff who responded to the situation, describing their actions as professional, calm and caring during a difficult day for school communities.

Police enquiries remain ongoing. The PSNI has urged anyone who notices suspicious activity to contact police on 101, or dial 999 in an emergency.