At least 300 Italian schools were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving emailed bomb threats, the education minister said. Police are investigating.
At least 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving the same bomb alert message, Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said, according to France 24. Valditara told the La7 TV channel that the number of affected schools could rise.
One school in Rome informed parents: "Following a nationwide bomb alert, we wish to inform you that all students have been taken to a safe area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff."
The email was signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," according to a government source with knowledge of the matter, France 24 reported.
Italian police forces are investigating the matter, a spokesperson for Rome police said.
Schools across Scotland and Northern Ireland were also evacuated after receiving threatening emails on Wednesday morning, The Mirror reported. A large number of schools received emails headed "death is near," with pupils sent home and emergency closures reported across Scotland, including in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and the Highlands.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "Police received reports today, Wednesday 11th November, of a concerning email sent to a number of schools across Northern Ireland." The PSNI is carrying out urgent enquiries.
Northern Ireland's Education Authority said: "EA is liaising with police on this latest message. At this stage, we have not been made aware of any evidence of any credible threat to schools. Investigations are continuing."
Police Scotland confirmed that threatening emails sent to schools across the UK and Northern Ireland are being treated as hoaxes, with no evidence of a credible threat. The force said schools do not need to evacuate or keep children away from classrooms based solely on the emails. Police Scotland's Cyber and Fraud Unit is carrying out extensive enquiries to identify the source of the messages, working alongside law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.
The email bomb alerts disrupted schools in multiple countries on the same day. Authorities in Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland are investigating the source of the messages, while police in the UK have assessed the threats as not credible.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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