Bomb threats at thousands of schools in Italy and Great Britain

About 6,000 schools in Italy have received emails containing bomb threats. The government has now given the all-clear: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized that, based on the checks carried out so far, there are no indications of a specific danger. According to government information, at least 300 schools were evacuated as a precaution.

The authorities initially did not provide any information about the possible background to the bomb threats. Meloni wrote on Facebook of a "strategy aimed at stoking alarm and concern." She announced a full investigation into the incidents and called an emergency government meeting.

The content of the emails shows that a “concrete risk is virtually impossible,” said Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara. "We must be vigilant, but also aware that in an environment in which hybrid warfare is increasingly being used as a means of destabilizing states, we must arm ourselves accordingly," explained Valditara.

According to police, similar threats were also made to numerous schools in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Northern Ireland Education Authority said similar incidents had occurred in schools last month, according to the PA news agency. However, there is no evidence of a serious threat. Scottish police called the situation "worrying" but classified the threats as hoaxes.

The incidents are part of a series of threats and cyberattacks across Europe on supermarket refrigeration systems, media, blood banks and air traffic. It is not yet known who is behind the latest threats. Some politicians suspect that Russia is pursuing a campaign aimed at disrupting everyday life in European countries that support Ukraine. Russia denies this and accuses the West of slander.