AT LEAST one Limerick school was liaising with Gardaí as investigations got underway into an alleged firearms and bomb threat sent via email to a number of schools along the border with County Clare this Tuesday (February 11).
The Limerick school dispatched an emergency notice to quell parents’ alarm, explaining that while the affected schools had decided to remain closed for a period on Tuesday, the Limerick school was “not impacted by this incident”.
The Limerick school principal informed parents that while it was “actively linking with An Garda Síochána”, it was also “operating as normal on the advice of Gardaí”.
“I want to reassure you that the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff are our top priorities. If you have any concerns or require further information, do not hesitate to reach out to me directly,” added the principal.
Gardaí said they were satisfied there was no credible threat to any school who received the horrifying email.
Gardaí were following a number of lines of enquiry after Tuesday’s threat, including that the hoax email was sent after the sender’s email was hacked in a phenomenon known as “swatting”.
The schools who received the threat email at 2am Tuesday, warning of a violent attack the largest ever seen in the State with an attacker armed with firearms and “items” allegedly placed in the vicinity of the school buildings, took swift action and announced they would not be opening. However it is understood most had reopened by lunchtime on Tuesday.
The email read: “Tomorrow I am going to be carrying out one of the most prolific attacks in Irish history. I will be armed with multiple firearms I have placed items around every school that has been included in this email I will be targeting each and every school and I will be successful in my plan.”
“I just wanted to let this be known I will be sending a copy of my manifesto and I have already mailed it to the local newspaper and surrounding areas.”
The email sent shockwaves across schools in the Banner county, with parents of Limerick schools along the border also sent into a panic.
County Clare TD Cathal Crowe described the threat as “shocking”, adding that “this was a very scary incident for parents, students, school staff, and the general public and I have full confidence in Clare’s Gardaí to properly investigate this and establish all the facts.”
A Garda spokeswoman said: “An Garda Síochána is satisfied that no credible security threat existed as a result of this communication and that there is no ongoing risk to the public.”
“An Garda Síochána continues to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this communication including as to whether currently unknown third parties had an involvement in the distribution of this communication,” added the spokeswoman.
Gardaí said no arrests had been made as part of their investigations.
The Garda investigation was ongoing this Wednesday as Gardaí attempted to trace the sender and their whereabouts.
It’s understood a young male and his family were helping Gardaí with their enquires.
