A man will appear in court on Thursday accused of possessing weapons including five pipe bombs and a gun.
Liam Lyburd, 18, of Hamilton Place, Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle, has been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life and five counts of possessing an explosive substance, namely a pipe bomb, with intent to endanger life.
Northumbria police said: “The investigation to date has revealed that there was intent to cause serious harm at Newcastle College. We are confident that we have prevented the incident from taking place.”
The Newcastle Chronicle reported that the police investigation started after posts on a social media site.
Newcastle College principal Carole Kitching said students should attend the college as usual and that officers would be patrolling the campus.
Kitching said: “I would like to reassure staff, students and their families that their safety has been paramount to us and the college remains a safe place to study.
“Officers will be on patrol around the campus to offer reassurance and anyone who is concerned can speak to an officer or contact the college’s welfare team.
“People should attend the college as usual. We have an extensive network of CCTV cameras monitoring key areas inside buildings and across the campus and our security staff are on duty 24 hours a day.”
