More than 300 schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats by email, in the latest wave of security alerts to hit several European countries. Similar emails reached schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where authorities quickly dismissed them as hoaxes and classes went ahead.
In Italy, parents rushed to collect their children as students were moved to safe areas under teachers' supervision. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the alerts posed no danger and that police were monitoring the situation. According to Reuters, the emails were signed by a self-styled "Mikhail Andropov", the same purported sender behind threats emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria last Friday.
The threats follow a series of incidents targeting supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and broadcasters in Europe. Some European officials suspect Russia of a disruption campaign against countries backing Ukraine, while France this week accused Iran of a cyberattack on supermarket refrigerators. Both Moscow and Tehran deny involvement.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto called the threats part of a clear strategy "to spread fear and create anxiety", but noted that attention-seekers could also be responsible.
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