Bomb threats hit thousands of schools in Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Schools in Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland received bomb-threat emails on Wednesday in what authorities described as a suspected hoax campaign. Some 6,300 schools across Italy and more than 700 in Scotland and Northern Ireland received the threats, according to local authorities.

Italy

Italian officials said a single email appeared to have been sent on Wednesday to the inboxes of 6,300 out of a total of 7,476 state schools, and private schools were unaffected. The message was said to be from a certain "Mikhail Andropov, leader of Vilayat di Misoginistan".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said checks so far had not indicated any evidence of "concrete danger". "These reports appear rather linked to a strategy intended to cause alarm and concern," she said on Facebook.

Italy's Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said the incidents involving Italian schools were probably a "cyber-attack, not a genuine risk". Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats were "part of a strategy that is already quite clear: an attempt to spread fear and create anxiety."

At least 300 schools were evacuated in Italy, according to one report. Another report said hundreds of schools were evacuated. The BBC reported that although many schools were initially evacuated, the alarm was quickly lifted and pupils were allowed to return to class.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland's education secretary Mairi McAllan said there was no risk to the public and specialist cyber-crime officers were working to identify the source of the messages. Scottish police had earlier said that the warnings were "immediately assessed" as hoaxes. However some local authorities confirmed that some schools had been evacuated.

"Our advice is that there is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails," Police Scotland said.

In Northern Ireland education officials told schools to remain open unless otherwise advised by police. Northern Ireland police said Wednesday afternoon that checks and information gathered during their investigation indicated that the threatening email sent to schools had originated outside the United Kingdom.

Why it matters

The threats come amid growing concern in Europe over hybrid warfare, attempts by Western adversaries to disrupt everyday life through methods that do not necessarily involve conventional weapons. Recent examples include cyberattacks targeting European supermarkets and blood banks, as well as bomb threats against aircraft and television broadcasters. No perpetrator has been identified for the school threats.

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Sources

• bbc.com: Schools in Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland hit by threats in suspected bomb hoax
• ynetnews.com: At least 300 schools evacuated in Italy after mass bomb threats; similar alerts hit U
• aol.co.uk: Hoax bomb threats made to schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Italy - AOL
• ft.com: Thousands of schools in Italy, Scotland and Ireland receive bomb threats
• plataformamedia.com: 470 Scottish schools get bomb-threat emails, treated as hoaxes; the same messages hit Northern Ireland and Italy
• biz.chosun.com: Hoax bomb threats hit 6,300 Italian schools as Europe eyes hybrid risks - CHOSUNBIZ

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.