SIC confirms hoax bomb threats received by some Shetland schools

BOMB threats sent to schools across the country, including some in Shetland, were a hoax, the police and council have confirmed.

Area commander Chris Sewell confirmed that local schools were among “hundreds” of schools across the country who received the threatening messages.

Police Scotland released a statement, saying that the messages were “immediately assessed and are being treated as hoaxes”.

It said there was “nothing to suggest that they represent a credible threat or that there is any wider threat to the public”.

Shetland Islands Council confirmed that the threats were being treated as a hoax, and said the emails had been “quarantined”.

“The safety of everyone in our schools is our utmost priority,” it said.

“We are following Police Scotland advice that there is no need to evacuate schools based on the content of these emails.”

Local chief inspector Sewell said that a number of schools in Shetland were among those who received the threatening messages on Wednesday morning.

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However, he said they had been dismissed as a hoax.

Police Scotland said they could “understand how distressing messages of this nature can be for pupils, parents, carers and school staff, and the concern they can understandably cause”.

“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.

“They have been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland and our assessment remains that they do not represent a credible threat.

“Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit is carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the source of the messages, and officers continue to liaise with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.”