A number of West Cork schools including MICC in Dunmanway, Drinagh Play School and Star of The Sea National School in Passage West received fake email bomb threat this morning as a series of emails targeted schools across the county and in Cork city.
Some schools were forced to evacuate after receiving email bomb threats but were able to return to classes after gardaí confirmed that they were hoax emails.
Students and staff at MICC were not forced to evacuate, while parents of children attending Star of the Sea Primary School in Passage West received an email indicating that the school had received a "threatening email this morning."
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"We have evacuated the building and are checking the building for a suspicious 'plastic bag' (as per email). We are in the process of alerting the emergency services," the email said.
A Garda Síochána spokesperson said they are aware of a generic communication that has been sent to a number of educational establishments today,
"An Garda Síochána assess this threat as not credible and is not advising any educational establishment to evacuate. Gardaí are engaging with a number of educational establishments."
Speaking yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Paul Cleary said: “In response to recent increased activity in hoax and non-credible bomb threats, I would like to provide the following guidance about what you should do if you receive one, and how An Garda Síochána will respond.
If you receive a bomb threat by email, letter or any other message, contact An Garda Síochána immediately by calling 999. Provide as much detail as possible about the threat and the communication you have received.
Once notified, our Garda Regional Control Centre will assess the credibility of the threat.
Following that assessment, the Control Centre and/or the Gardaí responding will advise you on the most appropriate course of action. We will do this as quickly as possible.
It is important to understand that a bomb threat does not automatically mean that a building needs to be evacuated, but attending Gardai will assist with this decision
In many cases, following an assessment, the appropriate response may be to provide advice or carry out a cursory search of the premises.
