Politics1 min read

Over 6,000 schools in Italy get bomb threats; similar warnings in UK & Ireland

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The identical threats were delivered electronically under a single pseudonym, claiming remotely detonated explosives were planted in academic buildings and in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's vehicle. Hundreds of schools across Italy were cleared for security sweeps spanning from Friuli to Basilicata, echoing a smaller incident from November 2 that targeted over 270 schools. Although schools in Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland received comparable alerts, officials there opted against evacuations. Investigators note the incident follows wider regional disturbances, including flight hoaxes and cyberattacks on refrigeration sites, but have found no evidence linking them.

Key points

  • Italian ministers consider the coordinated digital threats to be a deliberate attempt to…: Italian ministers consider the coordinated digital threats to be a deliberate attempt to sow panic and undermine public institutions.
  • The alias behind the school emails was previously tied to threats aimed at European telev…: The alias behind the school emails was previously tied to threats aimed at European television broadcasters and airline flights.
  • Investigators have found no definitive evidence linking the school bomb hoaxes to recent…: Investigators have found no definitive evidence linking the school bomb hoaxes to recent cyberattacks on European refrigeration facilities.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

More than 6000 schools across Italy received bomb threats and over 300 plus were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving identical bomb threat emails warning of a “genocide against the Italians”, triggering security sweeps and disrupting classes across the country.

The threats were sent to educational institutions in several regions, from Rome to Friuli in the north and Basilicata in the south. Students and staff were moved to safe areas while police searched school premises for explosives.

The email was signed by a sender identifying himself as “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan”, according to a government source familiar with the matter. It claimed that a powerful explosive device with a remote detonator had been placed inside a school building and threatened to kill Italians in a mass attack. The message also claimed that a bomb had been planted in the engine of prime minister Giorgia Meloni's car.

Education minister Giuseppe Valditara told Italian broadcaster La7 that at least 300 schools had received the alerts, adding that the number could rise. A school in Rome informed parents that all…

Politics