THREE teenagers have been arrested after hoax bomb threats were made to Queen Anne High School and other schools around the world.

The three boys, aged 15 to 17, have been charged in connection with the incidents, which sparked evacuations and lockdowns in the UK, USA, Canada and the Netherlands.

Queen Anne is understood to have been targeted in December 2018, with around 80 calls made that month and in February this year.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police Scotland has arrested and charged three males, aged 15 to 17, from Dundee, Musselburgh and Glenrothes in connection with hoax threats made to premises in the UK, USA, Canada and Netherlands in December, 2018, and February, 2019.

"The teenagers will be reported to the procurator fiscal."

The Press reported last year that Police Scotland were treating the phone threats made to Queen Anne and several other Scottish schools as a "priority".

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: "I can confirm that a number of secondary schools in Scotland have received threats via telephone.

"Again, our officers have attended the schools and I want to reassure the public that nothing of concern has so far been found. There remains no evidence at this time to indicate that these threats are credible."

More calls were then made in February, with schools in Canada and the USA all receiving them.

The callers are alleged to have used an online calling app to make the hoaxes, known as "swatting".

Edmonton Police Service (EPS) in Canada understand that the caller on February 11, when "multiple" Edmonton facilities were phoned, was reported to have had a Scottish or British accent.

A spokesperson said: "On February 11, multiple Edmonton schools began receiving phone calls threatening either a bomb or impending attack by an armed suspect.

"The schools were placed on heightened alert, and in some cases initiated lockdown procedures while EPS patrol officers responded."

The EPS Cyber Crime Investigations Unit (CCIU) were able to link the calls to others being made to schools in Calgary, as well as at a school in Texas, USA.

The spokesperson added: "Following an extensive investigation, the calls were traced back to the UK.

"After contacting their counterparts in the UK, CCIU learned that these calls had been linked to over 80 similar hoax calls made to the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and the USA."

Detective Philip Hawkins, from EPS CCIU, added: "The amount of school and police resources these calls take up, not to mention the distress they cause to children, teachers and parents, is unacceptable.

“We left no stone unturned in this lengthy investigation, even across international borders, and three suspects are now facing charges in their home country."