Schools across Scotland have been targeted by a new wave of bomb threats, forcing pupils out of classrooms and triggering emergency procedures just three weeks after a similar mass hoax.
Police Scotland has confirmed that threatening emails were sent to schools across the country on Wednesday morning, 11 November, with similar messages received elsewhere in the UK and Northern Ireland.
The force has declared the threats to be hoaxes and says there is no evidence of a credible danger to pupils, teachers or the wider public.
Despite the reassurance, a number of schools evacuated buildings as a precaution, with disruption reported in Fife, Perth and Kinross, Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland.
The latest incident comes after hundreds of threatening messages were sent to Scottish schools on 19 October, prompting more than 300 calls to police and widespread concern among parents.
The renewed threats have raised fresh questions about who is behind the emails, with specialist cybercrime officers working alongside law enforcement agencies across the UK and internationally.
Among the schools affected on Wednesday were Leslie Primary School and Leslie Nursery in Fife, where children and staff were evacuated during the morning.
Pupils were subsequently allowed to return to the buildings after the threats were assessed.
Evacuations were also reported at schools in Perth and Kinross, including Kinross High School, while pupils at Letham Primary School were reportedly directed to a nearby church.
Fife Council confirmed that a number of schools had received emails containing bomb threats and had followed established emergency procedures.
Kevin Funnell, a service manager with the council, said there was no information suggesting a credible threat. He said the authority was working closely with police and would continue to update schools.
At Lochaber High School in Fort William, staff informed parents that more than 270 schools across Scotland had reportedly received threatening messages.
The school said it was monitoring the situation but did not intend to evacuate pupils. Parents were told they could collect their children if they wished.
That figure has not been independently confirmed by Police Scotland, which has not released a national total for the number of schools affected.
Police Scotland moved to reassure families that the emails had been assessed and were not considered credible.
The force said the messages had been distributed widely to schools across the UK and Northern Ireland, with no evidence of a wider threat to the public.
It advised that there was “no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails.”
Officers from Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify the source of the messages.
Investigators are also liaising with law enforcement partners elsewhere in the UK and internationally.
Glasgow City Council has reassured families following the latest incident. Its executive director of education, John McGhee, confirmed that police had identified the threats as a hoax and advised against evacuating schools.
The latest disruption follows a remarkably similar incident on Monday 19 October, when schools and nurseries across Scotland received threatening emails warning of explosive devices.
Police Scotland received more than 300 calls during that incident and launched an investigation into the source of the messages.
Schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh and other council areas were affected. Some buildings were evacuated, although the impact on pupils was limited in parts of Scotland where schools were closed for the October holidays or staff were attending in-service days.
Glasgow City Council reported that attendance had fallen by as much as 50 per cent at some primary and secondary schools the following day, despite assurances that children could return safely.
Today’s incidents have caused further disruption during the school day, with pupils evacuated from classrooms and parents receiving urgent messages about safety arrangements.
Police have not established publicly whether the latest emails were sent by the same person or group responsible for the October threats.
Parents and carers are advised to follow information issued directly by their schools and local authorities, while police continue their investigation.