Hundreds of schools in Italy, Scotland and Ireland receive bomb threats

Hundreds of schools across Italy, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland received bomb threats on Wednesday, in what appeared to be the latest coordinated attack aimed at disrupting life in Europe.

Italy

Italy’s education ministry said more than 300 schools received emails warning of imminent explosions, leading to thousands of students being rushed out of their classrooms. Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara described the incidents as probably a "cyber-attack, not a genuine risk".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a meeting of top ministers and intelligence chiefs. She said the government was monitoring closely the "numerous reports of bomb threats at educational institutions" although checks so far had not indicated any evidence of "concrete danger".

The Italian government said schools across the country had received an email saying: "This is Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan. We have come to annihilate you. We will carry out a genocide against the Italian people."

"I have just left in your building, inside a plastic bag, a powerful explosive with remote detonation," the email added. The sender also claimed to have left a bomb in the prime minister’s car.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the wave of emails was part of a campaign to create panic and disruption in European countries. "It’s part of a strategy that’s now clear: to sow terror or create concern, which is too easy," Crosetto said. He declined to speculate on who might be responsible.

Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland

Dozens of schools in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland were subjected to similar threats, also leading to some evacuations. Authorities in all those countries said they deemed the threats to be a hoax.

Police Scotland said on Wednesday that the school threats "have been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland and our assessment remains that they do not represent a credible threat".

In Northern Ireland, the education ministry said "another threatening email" had been sent to a "large number of schools" but advised that schools should remain open.

Context

The threats come a week after dozens of European flights were forced to make emergency landings after airlines and airports received similar malicious communications warning of explosives hidden onboard planes. European intelligence agencies are already involved in a cross-border effort to find those responsible for the airline hoaxes, suspecting a hostile foreign state or foreign activists linked to a foreign intelligence service may be responsible. No conclusions about attribution have been made.

Why it matters

The threats disrupted classes for thousands of students across multiple countries and prompted emergency government meetings. Security officials stress that such emails are simple to generate and their origins easy to obscure, and they could be the work of a single individual, multiple unconnected individuals, copycats or even a false-flag operation.

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Sources

• bbc.co.uk: Hundreds of Italian schools hit by threats in suspected bomb hoax - BBC News
• thestar.com: Some 300 Italian schools evacuated due to bomb threats
• ft.com: Hundreds of schools across Italy, Scotland and Ireland receive bomb threats

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