Hoax Bomb Threat Emails Force Evacuations in Over 300 Italian Schools, Similar Alerts in UK

Italian authorities are investigating a series of hoax bomb threat emails that led to the evacuation of at least 300 schools across Italy. A spokesperson for the Rome police confirmed the investigation, with similar alerts also reported in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated on Wednesday that there was no indication of any concrete danger to Italian schools, though investigations are ongoing and a government ministers' meeting has been convened. This security alert occurs amidst growing concerns in Europe regarding hybrid warfare tactics, which have previously targeted entities such as supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic control, and television broadcasters.

Giuseppe Valditara, the Italian Education Minister, informed La7 TV that approximately 300 schools were affected, with the number potentially increasing. He remarked, "It is clear that there is a strategy at play." While acknowledging the difficulty in identifying the perpetrators, he assured that intelligence services are actively working on it. Valditara also emphasized, "There is no need for alarmism as the content of the emails makes it clear that any concrete risk is virtually nonexistent. In all likelihood, this is a cyberattack rather than a genuine threat."

In parallel, a significant number of schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland received similar threatening emails on Wednesday. The Northern Ireland Education Authority advised schools to remain open, as police did not consider the threats credible. The authority noted the message's similarity to a previous bogus threat declared a hoax by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).

Police Scotland also reported that the messages sent to schools in their jurisdiction were not credible threats and were being treated as hoaxes. Their cyber and fraud unit is collaborating with law enforcement agencies across the UK and internationally to trace the source of these messages. This incident follows a similar mass bomb hoax email sent to Scottish schools on October 19.

This wave of threats comes after a month where flights across Europe experienced diversions, groundings, and fighter jet escorts due to bomb threats. Additionally, cyberattacks have targeted supermarkets in several European cities, with hackers altering refrigeration temperatures in an apparent attempt to spoil food. Last week, hackers manipulated refrigeration systems in supermarkets in Germany, Romania, and the UK, mirroring a cyberattack that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France in October.