At least 300 schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday, November 11, following a wave of bomb threats sent through identical emails, triggering widespread security operations and disrupting learning activities.
Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara confirmed the incident while speaking to La7 television, saying approximately 300 schools had been affected, although the number was expected to rise as more reports emerged.
According to Reuters, the threatening emails warned of explosive devices inside school buildings, prompting precautionary evacuations as authorities moved to protect students, teachers and other school personnel.One school in Rome notified parents through a messaging application that all students had been moved to a safe location and remained under the supervision of teaching staff.
The emails reportedly carried the signature of an individual identifying himself as “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan,” according to a government source familiar with the matter.
The same purported sender had previously claimed responsibility for bomb-threat emails targeting newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, raising concerns about a wider campaign of coordinated threats against European institutions.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was no indication of a concrete danger to schools, describing the threats as seemingly intended to generate alarm and anxiety.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto also warned that the incidents appeared designed to spread fear, although he cautioned against prematurely attributing responsibility to foreign actors.
Italian police have launched investigations to establish the origin of the threatening messages and determine who was behind the alerts.
The incident comes amid growing security concerns across Europe following a series of cyberattacks and hoax threats targeting supermarkets, blood banks, airlines and television broadcasters.
Authorities are continuing investigations as affected schools assess the situation and work to restore normal learning activities.
