NI schools bomb hoax, how can one email spark mass panic and disruption

160 schools across Northern Ireland were affected last week after an email was sent containing a bomb threat.

Schools reported receiving the email just before 9am. Timed to cause alarm amongst staff on students' arrival. 

The PSNI was quick to confirm that the threat was a hoax, stating that, “Checks have not, at this time, resulted in anything untoward.” Education Minister Paul Givan said the email was sent to at least 160 schools. When speaking to the press, Givan described the email as ‘an appalling communication’. He went on to say that where schools were unable to ‘identify a specific object’ they were aiming to stay open, stating that the threat didn’t appear viable, but deferred to the PSNI, which he said was actively engaging with the Education authority.

He also rebuked the messaging of the threat, which was ostensibly Islamist, though no perpetrator has been identified. Givan said the message was signed off ‘Allah Akbar’ and spoke of ‘wanting to introduce sharia law’.

Many Schools closed in response to the threat, whilst some remained open, giving parents the opportunity to collect their children.

Some have criticised public bodies for their lack of direction on what to do in these situations. Speaking to the BBC, Headteacher at Holy Evangelists’ Primary School, Claire Robinson, said that “little had been done to prepare schools for situations like these, leaving senior staff in schools to make their own decisions.”

The assistant general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Rob Kelsall, praised staff for their work under extreme pressure. He continued, “However, it is unacceptable that some have been left trying to reconcile differing and, at times, contradictory advice from multiple agencies while managing incidents of this seriousness.” He warned, “When schools face threats of this nature, they need clear, consistent and coordinated communication from the relevant authorities.”

The hoax itself was revealed later to have come from outside the UK, and Northern Ireland was not its only target, with some schools in the Republic of Ireland being targeted.