On Monday 19 October 2026 hundreds of schools across Scotland received emails threatening that a bomb had been planted. Police Scotland received more than 300 reports. Police are treating the messages as a hoax. The source of the emails is being investigated by the specialist Cyber and Fraud Unit.
Some schools were evacuated, including in Edinburgh and Clackmannanshire. In Edinburgh there were no pupils in schools — it was the October break and an in-service day for teachers. In Inverclyde some staff were sent to work remotely. The messages also reached schools in Glasgow, Stirling, the Scottish Borders, Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire and Moray, among others. Most councils said schools were operating normally. Around 160 schools in Northern Ireland received similar threats, and a week earlier nurseries and primary schools in East Lothian did too.
Editorial comment
No children were harmed, and the police are clear: these are hoaxes. The aim of such emails is fear and chaos. Parents working shifts must, however, be ready for a sudden school closure. The same method — mass threatening emails — is also used against businesses and public offices.
What to do
- Parents: check information about a specific school only on your council’s website or in the school’s own announcements.
- Do not share the content of threats on social media — it helps the perpetrators.
- Employers: agree rules for sudden school closures (remote working, changed hours).
- Businesses: if you receive a threatening email, do not reply, keep the message and call the police (999 in an emergency, 101 otherwise).
What do you think?
Do you feel this in your business? Tell us in the comments below the article. We will cover the most interesting views in future editions.
Sources
- STV News: schools in Scotland targeted by threats
- ITV Border, 20.10.2026
- Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce: briefing 20.10.2026
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