Welsh school placed in lockdown following ‘threats’ to pupil

CARDIFF: A Welsh school was placed in partial lockdown after a teenage pupil allegedly received threatening messages.

Gwent Police said Ebbw Fawr Learning Community in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, was placed into lockdown at around 10.20am on Friday.The force confirmed that police officers had attended the school, where they remained to provide reassurance.

Superintendent Matthew Williams said: “We have arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of making threats.“This arrest didn’t take place on school premises and was not made in the Ebbw Vale area.

“We carried out a search during the arrest, and no offensive weapons were found. He remains in police custody at this time as our inquiries continue.“We understand the level of concern from parents in the area today, but I’d like to thank the public and the school for following protocol, remaining calm and relaying any concerns they had to us.

“These actions allowed us to act quickly, make an arrest, safeguard pupils and reassure the community.“The school is now no longer in lockdown and parents and guardians are collecting their children.”

The incident came after two teachers and a pupil sustained stab wounds at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday.A 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Friday.