Students evacuated – bomb threats at hundreds of schools in Italy

First there were numerous bomb threats against aircraft and media facilities, now schools in Europe are also affected by threats. In Italy, hundreds of schools received emails containing bomb threats. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara spoke on television about around 300 schools that had received such letters. Students, teachers and staff were evacuated in several cities.

According to media reports, the security authorities are currently carrying out investigations in the school buildings. The authorities have not yet provided any information about the possible background to the threats.

The minister continued on TV: “This is not the first time.”

And further: “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.”

From the content of the emails, which Valditara did not quote, it was “clear” that a “specific risk was virtually eliminated,” he said. “Most likely this is a cyber attack and not a real threat.”

Police in Northern Ireland also launched an investigation after hundreds of schools received a bomb threat email this morning, the PA news agency reported. The Northern Ireland Education Authority said that similar incidents occurred in schools in the country last month. However, there are no indications of a serious threat.

According to the police, numerous schools in Scotland also received threatening emails. However, Scottish Police classify these as hoaxes and see no need to carry out evacuations at schools. According to Scottish media reports, numerous students were evacuated in the morning.

Dozens of flights in large parts of Europe had recently been affected by mysterious bomb threats and some were diverted. However, explosive devices were not found in any of the cases during checks by specialists. Irish media organizations also received threats via email. The public broadcaster RTÉ temporarily interrupted its programs on Friday because TV and radio studios had to be evacuated.

It is still unclear who is behind the bomb threats and to what extent they are connected. Numerous authorities in Europe are currently investigating. The large number of attacks indicates a coordinated approach, whether by individuals or even by state-controlled actors.