A coordinated wave of hoax bomb threats sent via email forced the evacuation of hundreds of schools across Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. While many schools in Italy were evacuated, authorities in Ireland and parts of the UK assessed the threats as not credible and did not mandate widespread evacuations.
In Italy, over 300 schools—primarily in Rome and other major cities—were forced to evacuate after receiving nearly identical emails claiming explosive devices were on the premises. The threatening emails reportedly targeted and referenced Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meloni stated on Facebook that based on checks carried out, no element has emerged to suggest a "concrete danger." She described the reports as appearing to be linked to a strategy aimed at generating alarm and concern, which is currently the subject of in-depth investigations. Meloni called a government meeting with security and intelligence chiefs on Wednesday to discuss the threats.
The emails contained inflammatory language, beginning with "We have come to annihilate you. We will carry out genocide against the Italians." The messages claimed a "powerful explosive device" with a "remote trigger" had been placed in each building, including a claim that a bomb was placed in the engine of the prime minister’s car. The emails were signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan." Similar hoax threats signed with the same name were sent to media outlets in Ireland and Bulgaria in the past week.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, educational facilities in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and across Ireland received the messages. Scotland's education secretary Mairi McAllan stated there was no risk to the public and that specialist cyber-crime officers are working to identify the source. McAllan noted that as a parent and constituency MSP, she understands how concerning the situation is for parents, pupils, carers, and school staff. While Police Scotland stated that warnings were "immediately assessed" as hoaxes and advised that there is no requirement to evacuate schools based solely on the emails, some local authorities confirmed that some schools were evacuated. In Northern Ireland, education officials told schools to remain open unless otherwise advised by police.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he would report to parliament on the incident and wider security issues. He stated that the incident is part of a strategy that is now clear, which is to sow terror or to create concern, noting that anyone with existing tools could send such an email.
Security officials are viewing these hoaxes as part of a wider pattern of hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, and disruptions targeting European infrastructure, including recent hoaxes affecting flights, media organizations, and supermarkets. While some European officials suspect foreign state actors like Russia or Iran of orchestrating campaigns to sow chaos in nations supporting Ukraine, investigations into the precise origin and culprits remain ongoing.
