Bomb threat emails to schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland treated as hoaxes

What happened

On 11 November 2026, schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland received emails threatening bombs. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said more than 300 schools there reported the email, and it is treating the message as a hoax. Police Scotland cited at least 470 schools targeted, while other reporting put the confirmed number in Scotland at over 270, so the Scottish count differs between sources and may still change. In the Republic, gardaí described a 'generic communication' sent to a number of educational establishments and said they had received a large volume of phone calls that morning. The reports followed the evacuation of at least 300 schools in Italy.

Police say the threats are not credible

Police Scotland assessed the emails as hoaxes and said its cyber and fraud unit is carrying out extensive inquiries to establish where the messages came from. The force said the emails had been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland, and that its assessment remained that they did not represent a credible threat.

“Our advice is that there is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails.”

In Northern Ireland, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said police take incidents of this nature very seriously and understand the concern of school communities.

“Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low.”

The Education Authority, which handles the Northern Ireland school message, said the threat had similarities with a bogus email sent on 19 October that police had declared a hoax. It added that it had not been made aware of any evidence of a credible threat to schools.

“At this stage, we have not been made aware of any evidence of any credible threat to schools.”

Impact on schools

In Scotland, most local authorities said schools were operating as normal, but some pupils were evacuated as a precaution. In Dumfries and Galloway, where the majority of schools received the email, some schools were evacuated. In Edinburgh, Queensferry High School was evacuated and pupils were sent home, and Portobello High, St Augustine, Currie and Broughton were also evacuated. Highland Council said a number of its schools activated their emergency protocols, while John McGhee, executive director of education at Glasgow City Council, said police had confirmed a hoax and schools should not be evacuated. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Education advised schools to remain open unless the PSNI advised otherwise. In the Republic, Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton said there was no need for schools to evacuate after speaking with Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, and officials were in contact with gardaí. At a Wexford primary school, gardaí checked the building, the children stayed in the church for assembly, and parents were allowed to collect their children.

Earlier hoax and next steps

A similar message sent to schools around the country on 19 October prompted more than 300 calls to police. Police in Northern Ireland said their inquiries are ongoing and that an update would be provided in due course. The Education Authority said it would give a further update after engaging with police. Police Scotland's cyber and fraud unit is still working with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally to identify the source of the emails.