Bomb threats trigger evacuations at hundreds of schools in Italy, UK and Ireland
More than 300 schools in Italy and hundreds in the UK and Ireland were evacuated after receiving identical bomb threats that officials said were likely a cyberattack and not credible.
A wave of bomb threats sent to schools across Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland forced evacuations on Wednesday. In Italy, over 300 schools were cleared after identical messages arrived, prompting the education ministry to move students to safety. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara told ANSA that the concrete risk was "virtually nonexistent" and that the incidents were "most likely a cyberattack, not a real threat." He added that identifying the perpetrators would be difficult and that investigations and security investments were underway.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on Facebook that the government was taking all necessary steps to protect citizens and noted that investigations had not uncovered any persistent danger.
In the United Kingdom, more than 270 schools in Scotland and over 300 in Northern Ireland received similar threats, with additional schools in England also affected. In the Republic of Ireland, Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton said police considered the emails "not credible" and saw no need for evacuations.
The school threats follow a series of recent incidents targeting European air travel, including threats to flights signed by a group calling itself "Fighters of the Male State," a Russian ultranationalist movement banned in 2021. The group's founder has denied involvement.