On Thursday morning, January 8, around 09:20 AM, the police received the first report of a school location on Beetslaan in Hoogezand. Multiple units went to the scene and the building was evacuated. Students from two schools were accommodated at a nearby location.
Within an hour after the first reports, we received five reports of the same nature. These involved three other schools in the province of Groningen: two in Hoogezand and one in the city of Groningen. Additionally, there was a school in Emmen and a residential location in Eelde. All these were false reports. Each report was carefully followed up and assessed. The other locations were not evacuated on our orders.
The police immediately started an investigation into who was involved in making these false reports. Making a false report is punishable by law. The police investigation continues. Multiple arrests are not excluded.