Police have launched an investigation at SCEGGS in Darlinghurst after a student allegedly asked for instructions on how to make a pipe bomb in a WhatsApp group chat involving Year 7 students on Sunday afternoon.
The messages were reported to the school, and staff immediately contacted police because of the extremely serious nature of the content. According to the school, one student allegedly asked for instructions on how to make the explosive device, and 7NEWS understands the girl allegedly told the group she had already acquired some ingredients to make the pipe bomb.
Detectives attended the school and searched a locker as part of their inquiry. Officers also spoke with a child on campus and carried out additional inquiries off campus. The school has already taken disciplinary action against some of the students involved in the incident.
SCEGGS is one of Sydney’s most exclusive private schools, and the case has put a spotlight on how quickly a private group chat among Year 7 students became a police matter. The school moved as soon as the messages were reported, and officers treated the allegation as a potential threat rather than a schoolyard prank.
The investigation remains ongoing, leaving open the question of what exactly was said in the chat and whether any student had taken steps beyond the messages themselves. For now, police are still piecing together the exchange, the school has already acted against some of the students, and the matter is being handled as a serious criminal inquiry.
