Northern Ireland schools evacuated over 'explosive device planted on campus'

Northern Ireland schools evacuated over 'explosive device planted on campus' A number of schools in Northern Ireland have been evacuated this morning following a 'threat' As many as 160 schools across Northern Ireland received an email containing a threat this morning, prompting a number of schools to evacuate pupils. Parents of children at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution were told that a "very large number of schools" had received an "anonymous threat" claiming an "explosive device" had been planted on their premises. The grammar school said it had evacuated pupils in a fire-drill manner before police advised that it was safe for lessons to resume. A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "Police received reports today, Monday 19th October, of an email sent to a number of schools across Northern Ireland. "As a result of this email, police are conducting urgent enquiries, and liaising with the schools in question. An update will be provided in due course." Lisburn North DUP councillor Jonathan Craig said the threat was sent early on Monday morning as children were arriving at school. He said: "The principal had no option but to evacuate immediately as there was a potential danger to children. "Subsequently, when I contacted the Education Authority regarding this issue, I was informed that 160 schools across the province had received the same threat." He added that it is believed that "these are all hoax bomb scares". Mr Craig said: "You know, we all hoped and prayed that these days were long past us since this was a regular occurrence for all of us in our daily experience. And it's terrible that someone would do something like this and target children and put fear into children. The affected schools are working closely with the PSNI. This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.