Mass evictions and threatening messages.. Is Europe facing a new wave of hybrid warfare?

Schools were evacuated across Italy on Wednesday (November 11) after a series of false bomb reports, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed there was no "concrete danger". Similar false reports were announced at schools in Britain and Ireland, leading to limited evacuations.

Meloni said that she called for a government meeting that will take place later Wednesday. Education Minister Giuseppe Valdtara said that students in more than 6,000 schools were asked to leave the buildings, after a threat was sent by email. While Italian media reported that 312 schools received warnings. The Prime Minister said on Facebook: “Currently, based on the checks that have taken place, no information has been received indicating the existence of a tangible danger.” She added, "The reports appear to be linked to a strategy aimed at causing panic and anxiety, and this is something that all necessary in-depth investigations are currently being conducted into."

'fake threats'

The head of the Italian School Principals' Association (ANP), Antonello Janelli, said the threats were "clearly false". But he added that it reveals "the extent of the widespread harm and disruption that irresponsibility can cause when combined with the extraordinary ability to communicate through the tools we have available today." He continued, "We hope that...the source of these threats will be quickly revealed and those responsible will be identified."

Threatening letters to hundreds of schools in Britain and Ireland

Police in Britain and Ireland were investigating on Wednesday threats sent via e-mail to hundreds of schools, but called on teachers not to carry out any evacuations because the messages were considered merely false reports.

These emails come after similar warnings last week targeted media outlets in Britain and Ireland, and flights from the United Kingdom and European countries.

The authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also said that threatening messages reached a large number of schools via e-mail today from outside the country, but they quickly turned out to be false and did not affect the course of the study.

The threats come after a series of false bomb alerts in recent weeks, including on flights across Europe and cyber attacks targeting refrigeration systems in stores in various European countries, including Italy.

A "hybrid war" related to Russia?

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani said on Saturday that hackers were publishing his personal data on the Internet because of Italy's support for Ukraine. The attacks sparked warnings of a multi-media war targeting Europe.

Meloni and her officials blamed pro-Russian hackers for the recent cyber attacks that also affected Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani, after an increase in hybrid sabotage operations from entities allied with Vladimir Putin's government. An email also threatened Meloni, according to copies obtained by Italian media, including the La Presse news agency, according to what the Associated Press (AP) reported.

In her statement, Meloni did not address the threat that targeted her personally, and her office did not immediately issue any comment. The message was said to have been issued by the leader of an unknown group whose name was anti-women, and included extremely violent threats, according to AP. The email was signed with the same Russian name used in threats targeting European broadcasters last week.