Italy evacuates schools after bomb threats hit up to 6,300 nationwide
A wave of emailed bomb threats struck schools across Italy on Wednesday, with authorities citing figures ranging from around 300 to 6,300 institutions and hundreds of buildings evacuated as a precaution. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said checks found no evidence of "concrete danger," and Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara described the alerts as probably a cyber-attack rather than a genuine risk. Similar emails reached schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where police treated them as hoaxes. No injuries or devices were reported, and no perpetrator was confirmed.
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Bomb threats target 6,300 schools in Italy; thousands evacuated, Meloni cites no concrete danger
Bomb threats prompted the evacuation of thousands of schools in Italy, with threats reported against as many as 6,300 schools. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated there were no indications of any concrete danger, and her government characterized the threats as a strategy to sow fear and concern. Schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland also received threats, according to the report. No injuries or confirmed explosive devices were mentioned, and authorities did not identify a specific perpetrator or motive in the source item.
Read sourceHundreds of Italian Schools Evacuated as Hoax Bomb Threats Hit Europe
Hundreds of schools across Italy were evacuated after a wave of bomb threats, according to The New York Times. Reuters reported that hoax bomb alerts were sent to schools in Italy, the UK and Ireland in the latest disruption, while CNN described suspected bomb threat hoaxes prompting evacuations of Italian schools and alarm in the UK and Ireland. The Guardian reported hoax bomb threats made to hundreds of schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland. RTE.ie reported that authorities said there was 'no need to evacuate' after threats were sent to schools. The incidents appear coordinated across multiple European countries, though the sources characterize the threats as hoaxes.
Read sourceOver 6,000 Italian schools receive bomb threats; Meloni orders investigation
More than 6,000 schools across Italy received bomb threats by email, prompting precautionary evacuations of 312 buildings, according to a WELT report dated November 11, 2026. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that authorities would investigate the threats and gave an all-clear, indicating no confirmed danger. The report does not specify who was behind the emails or whether any suspects have been identified. The mass threats affected schools nationwide and triggered security responses at hundreds of sites.
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Thousands of Hoax Bomb Alerts Target Schools in Italy, UK and Ireland
Schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after around 6,300 received bomb warnings, the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks around Europe targeting supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and broadcasters. Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland reported many schools received a similar email threat from abroad, but it was classed as a hoax and did not disrupt classes. The email seen by Reuters was signed 'Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan,' and included a threat to target Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the alerts posed no danger. Some European officials suspect Russia may be behind a disruption campaign against nations supporting Ukraine; Russia denies this and accuses the West of a smear campaign. Iran, another suspect, rejected French accusations of a cyberattack as 'baseless and hostile.' Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats aim to spread fear, while also noting attention-seekers may be responsible.
Read sourceHundreds of Italian schools hit by suspected bomb hoax threats
Around 300 schools across Italy received bomb threats on Wednesday, according to Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who described the incidents as probably a "cyber-attack, not a genuine risk." Emails were sent to schools in Rome, Naples, Vicenza, Florence, Pisa, Trieste and many other cities, prompting precautionary evacuations, though alarms were quickly lifted and pupils returned to class. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened top ministers and intelligence chiefs, saying checks had found no evidence of "concrete danger" and that the reports appeared linked to a strategy to cause alarm. The threats follow a series of bomb hoaxes targeting Italian airports and European airlines last week. Separately, more than 300 schools in Northern Ireland and several in Scotland received hoax emails; it is unclear whether the incidents are connected.
Italy evacuates 300 schools after email bomb threats; UK hoaxes also reported
Hundreds of schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving email bomb threats, with at least 300 institutions affected, according to Italian authorities. The threats were presumed to be hoaxes, said Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who warned the number could rise. Similar threatening emails were sent to schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland; police in those regions assessed the messages as hoaxes originating from outside the UK and advised no evacuations. The email received in Italy was signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," the same purported author who claimed responsibility for bomb threats sent to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria on Friday. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described the threats as part of a strategy to spread fear, while noting they may also come from attention-seekers. Italian police are investigating.
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