Bomb threats hit 160 Northern Ireland schools as police investigate emails invoking Islamist rhetoric More than 150 schools across Northern Ireland have received bomb threats in a mass email attack that prompted school closures, precautionary evacuations and an urgent police investigation. Stormont Education Minister, Paul Givan, (pictured) said 160 schools had received emails claiming explosive devices were present on their premises. The messages reportedly threatened that Sharia law would be introduced in Northern Ireland and were signed off with the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is greatest”.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was investigating the threatening communications and liaising with affected schools. Although the warnings were initially not considered viable, police subsequently said they were treating the matter as a hoax after checks failed to identify anything suspicious.

The incident has disrupted school communities across the region, with some establishments closing or evacuating pupils as a precaution while authorities assessed the risk.

Speaking at Stormont on Monday, Mr Givan said the threats had been escalated to police and that the Education Authority was holding emergency discussions with officers.

“At this stage the advice to schools is that we’re not treating this as a viable threat but it has clearly caused huge alarm,” he said.

The minister condemned the disruption, particularly its impact on children’s education, and advised schools to contact their local policing district commands. He said schools should not take further action to close unless a specific suspicious object had been identified or police advice indicated otherwise.

In a statement, the Education Authority said it recognised the concern caused by the emails among school leaders, staff, pupils and families.

The authority said it was working closely with the PSNI, following police advice and keeping schools informed as the investigation continued.

The Northern Ireland incident comes just days after more than 150 schools across the Republic of Ireland received a bomb threat email on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.

The earlier communications prompted Garda investigations and precautionary closures or delayed openings at some schools. According to reporting by The Irish Times on 15 October, investigators were working to trace the source of the message, which had reportedly been attributed to a foreign militant group. There was not thought to be an immediate risk to pupils, and no bombs were found during reported searches. The close timing and scale of the two incidents raise questions about whether the emails are connected. However, no confirmed link between the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland threats has been established in the information released so far.

Police will need to establish whether the messages originated from the same source, whether the communications share technical characteristics and whether the incidents form part of a wider campaign of intimidation. The latest incident also recalls previous waves of threatening emails targeting schools in Northern Ireland. On 24 March 2025, nine schools in Strabane, Ballycastle and Enniskillen received a threatening email.

The PSNI deployed officers to the affected schools and said checks had found nothing untoward. Police treated the incident as a hoax at the time, although inquiries continued. Three schools in Strabane and three in Ballycastle closed, while three affected schools in Enniskillen remained open. The incident caused concern among pupils, parents and staff and prompted renewed condemnation of threats directed at educational establishments.

More recently, on 19 May 2026, police investigated a threatening email sent to six schools and multiple businesses in County Antrim, including locations in Randalstown, Ballycraigy and Antrim town. The PSNI said the communication was believed to have been circulated in a deliberate attempt to cause disruption. Officers reported that nothing untoward had been found and said the threat was not considered credible at that stage. The number of schools involved in the latest incident is substantially higher than in either of those previous Northern Ireland cases, widening the potential impact on families and education services.

Schools caught between precaution and disruption

The recurring incidents highlight the difficult decisions facing school leaders when threatening messages are received.

Closing a school or evacuating pupils can disrupt lessons, examinations, childcare arrangements and parents’ working lives. However, school leaders must also consider their responsibility to protect pupils and staff while police assess the credibility of a warning.

In the latest case, authorities have urged schools to follow police guidance rather than assume that every threatening email represents an immediate danger.

The use of Islamist language in the latest communications has also introduced a sensitive religious and political dimension. While Mr Givan described the threats as appearing to come from Islamists, the wording of an email does not independently establish the identity, ideology or organisational affiliation of its author.

The phrase “Allahu Akbar” is widely used by Muslims in prayer and everyday religious expression. Its reported appearance in a threatening message should not be taken as evidence that Muslim communities or any particular organisation were responsible. Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect in the information available for this report. The immediate priority for police and education officials is to establish the source and credibility of the messages, ensure the safety of school communities and minimise further disruption. The Education Authority has pledged to continue supporting affected schools and communicating developments, while the PSNI has said its inquiries are ongoing.

The latest incident serves as a reminder that mass-distributed threats can cause widespread fear and interrupt public services even when no explosive devices are found. For pupils, parents and teachers, the central concern remains when normal school routines can safely resume. For investigators, the challenge is to determine who sent the emails, whether the threats are connected across the island of Ireland and whether anyone will face prosecution for the disruption caused.