At least 300 schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving an identical bomb threat message, prompting a nationwide security response. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes, although the number of schools affected was expected to increase.
The incident comes amid growing concerns across Europe over suspected hybrid warfare threats, with recent incidents targeting supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic systems and television broadcasters. Similar bomb threats have also disrupted media organisations in several European countries.
Speaking to Italian television channel La7, Valditara said the large number of schools receiving the same threat raised doubts about its credibility. “The large number of schools affected demonstrates how little credibility the threat has,” he said.
Schools moved students to designated safe areas while informing parents that precautionary measures had been implemented. One school in Rome sent a message to parents through a messaging application, stating: “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 threat was delivered through an email bearing the signature “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan”, according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters. The purported author also claimed responsibility for bomb threat emails sent on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.
The apparent connection between the Italian alerts and the earlier threats against media organisations has drawn attention to the wider pattern of incidents affecting institutions and essential services in Europe. Recent targets have included supermarkets, blood banks, aviation infrastructure and television broadcasters, although the circumstances and origins of the separate incidents have not been established in the information available.
Italian police are investigating the latest threats, a spokesperson for Rome police said. No further details about the investigation or the identity of the individuals responsible were immediately available.
Valditara said the number of schools affected could rise as authorities continued to assess the nationwide alerts.
