15-year-old girl arrested over bomb hoax at Xinmin Secondary School

SINGAPORE – A 15-year-old girl has been arrested in relation to the fake bomb threat last week at Xinmin Secondary School in Hougang.

A bomb threat was made at the secondary school on the morning of Aug 13, and led to the evacuation of students and staff.

The police, who were alerted at around 8.20am, had conducted a thorough check of the premises then, and no suspicious items were found.

In response to queries from The Straits Times on Aug 18, the police confirmed that a teenager has been arrested in relation to the case.

Investigations into the case of communicating false information of a harmful thing are ongoing.

In a message to parents and guardians that day, the school said it was alerted to the threat and immediately activated its evacuation procedures at 8.28am.

A parent of a Secondary 3 student at the school said she received the message via the Parents Gateway app at around 10am.

Parents Gateway, developed by the Ministry of Education and GovTech, gives parents and guardians access to school announcements.

The parent said she did not feel worried when she received the message, as the school had reassured parents that the evacuation and checks had been completed.

Following the incident, Xinmin’s principal Tan Soon Hui said on Aug 13 that the school is working closely with the police on the investigation into the incident.

“The safety and well-being of all students and staff remain the school’s utmost priority. The school will continue to support the well-being of our students and staff and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to respond to emergencies,” said Tan.

If convicted, the teen could face up to seven years’ jail, a fine of up to $50,000, or both.

The police said they take all security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally communicate false information on bomb threats.