Police forces are liaising to see if threatening emails sent to other UK schools are connected to those in Gateshead.
Northumbria Police got reports March 6. Schools there received a malicious email overnight. Several schools, both primary and secondary, were targeted.
Birmingham and Halifax schools also got similar emails the day before. It’s unclear if these events relate to each other. West Midlands Police is talking to other police forces now as part of their investigation.
Northumbria Police is still investigating things closely. They haven’t found any solid links yet, but they will act against whoever sent the emails.
Gateshead schools did a voluntary lockdown. Parents got notified about these actions, and police checked things out at each school. The Bishop Wilkinson trust emailed parents, noting two of their schools, Cardinal Hume and St Oswald’s, got the threat.
Birmingham schools also got threats. One school, Mere Green Primary, received a “firearms threat” Wednesday, March 5. West Midlands Police doesn’t think the threat is real; Mere Green Primary said police called the emails a “hoax.”
Halifax police say schools got threatening emails too. They are finding out where the email came from and have arrested someone about malicious communications.