Bomb Threats Disrupt Classes in 300 Italian Schools... Meloni Chairs Emergency Meeting

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will chair an emergency government meeting on Wednesday, following the closure of hundreds of schools across the country, after an anonymous email threat claimed the presence of bombs. This comes as authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland reported that a large number of schools had received similar threatening emails, which were later determined to be false and originated from outside the United Kingdom.

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara told local channel La7 that the warnings are believed to be false, adding that the number of schools receiving such alerts is expected to rise.

The same individual, who claims to be the sender of the messages, had previously claimed responsibility for bomb threats sent via email on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.

A spokesperson for the Rome police said that officers are investigating the matter.

In the UK, reports of these emails emerged after the evacuation of at least 300 schools in Italy.

The Irish police stated they were aware of a “general message” sent to many schools and concluded that the threat lacked credibility and did not warrant school evacuations.

Police in Northern Ireland noted that more than 300 schools also received an email containing a threat, which was treated as false, and added that the email originated from outside the UK.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said, “We take facts of this nature seriously, and we understand the widespread concern within the community, among schools, and among students and parents.”

The Irish police pointed out that there had been a “recent increase in false and unreliable bomb threats,” and advised the public to contact authorities if they receive such threats.

Police in Scotland stated that the messages were immediately deemed fake and were handled accordingly.

In a statement, they added, “Our investigations have found no indication that they constitute a credible threat or that there is any danger to people.”