Multiple schools across Northern Ireland have been evacuated after staff received an email claiming an explosive device was present on their premises. According to BBC News, the message was distributed to more than 100 schools, prompting urgent police action and widespread precautionary measures.
This story was first reported by BBC News.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed it had received reports of the threatening email and launched immediate enquiries. Officers began liaising directly with affected schools to assess the credibility of the threat and coordinate evacuation procedures where necessary.
St Colman's Primary School in Lambeg issued an urgent notice to parents requesting they collect their children immediately, while emphasising that all pupils remained safe. The school's statement urged parents not to alarm their children during the collection process. Harpur's Hill Primary School and Rosstulla Special School similarly advised parents to pick up their children as a precautionary measure.
The PSNI statement indicated that police were conducting what it described as urgent enquiries in response to the email threat. The force committed to providing further updates as the investigation progressed, though no timeline was specified for when additional information would be released.
Both the Department of Education and the Education Authority were notified of the incident and the coordinated response across schools. The involvement of these bodies underscored the scale of the threat assessment and the need for a unified approach across the education sector.
This incident follows a pattern of security alerts affecting Northern Ireland schools in recent months. In June 2026, parents at 16 additional schools were warned of possible data breaches following a cyber-attack on the C2k school network, demonstrating ongoing vulnerabilities in the sector's digital infrastructure and physical security.
What happens next?
The PSNI indicated that further updates regarding the investigation would be provided in due course. Schools and parents are expected to await official guidance from police and education authorities before resuming normal operations.
