Hundreds of Italian Schools Evacuated After Coordinated Bomb Threat Emails

Around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, 312 schools in Italy received identical emails warning of a "powerful explosive device with a remote detonator" left in their buildings. Most of the alerts were sent to schools in Rome, with additional messages reaching institutions in other major cities.

"It is clearly the work of a hoaxer trying to sow chaos," said Antonello Giannelli, head of the National Association of School Principals.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto described the messages as an attempt to "sow terror" for thousands of families, while cautioning that not all such incidents are linked to foreign actors.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that her cabinet would hold an emergency meeting this afternoon. In a social-media statement she said, "The government is closely monitoring the numerous reports of bomb threats at schools. Law enforcement agencies and government institutions at every level are working to monitor the situation and reassure citizens, families, and school staff. At this time, based on the investigations conducted, there is no evidence to suggest that a concrete danger exists. Rather, the reports appear to be part of a strategy aimed at causing alarm."

The email was signed with the same fictitious name used in similar threats sent to newsrooms in Bulgaria and Ireland on Friday, and about 300 schools in Northern Ireland reported comparable messages, though a common source has not been confirmed. Recent incidents targeting supermarkets, air traffic controllers, blood banks and broadcasters across Europe have heightened concerns about a coordinated hybrid-warfare campaign. France recently summoned the Iranian ambassador over cyberattacks that caused supermarket freezers to defrost, a claim Tehran denies.

"It is not always the work of foreign countries or hostile entities. There are also attention-seekers and lunatics who simply want to unleash mayhem," Crosetto added.