London, 11 Nov (Reuters) – Authorities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said that a threatening email sent to a large number of schools on Wednesday was a hoax originating outside the United Kingdom.
The emails were reported after the evacuation of at least 300 schools in Italy.
The Irish police said they were aware of a “generic communication” sent to several schools and assessed that the threat was not credible, with no need for evacuation.
Schools in Northern Ireland also received a threatening email, the Northern Ireland Education Authority said, but they were advised to remain open, as the authority stated that the police in the British province did not consider the communication a credible threat.
“The message bears similarities to a false threat sent last month, which was declared a hoax by the PSNI (police),” the Education Authority said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said that, based on investigations and information, the email, which originated outside the United Kingdom, was being treated as a hoax.
“We take incidents of this nature very seriously and understand the concern of the community, of the school communities, the students and the parents,” said Deputy Chief Constable Anthony McNally.
The Irish police noted that recently there has been “an increase in the occurrence of hoaxes and non-credible bomb threats” and urged the public to contact police if they receive any type of threat.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Graham Fahy)
