Italian Education Minister: 300 Schools Evacuated After Bomb Threats

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said that at least 300 schools across the country were evacuated on Wednesday after all of them received an email warning of a bomb. The security alerts come amid growing concerns in Europe over so-called “hybrid warfare” threats that have recently targeted supermarkets, banks, airlines, and television stations. Valditara said he believes the warnings are false, adding that the number of schools receiving such alerts is expected to rise, and that the large number of schools targeted indicates the threat lacks credibility.

On her part, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated there is no “concrete threat.” Italian media reported that Meloni called for a government meeting later on Wednesday, following the receipt of threats by 312 schools. The ANSA news agency quoted a source in the Prime Minister’s Office as saying: “Meloni has convened a meeting to review the situation and coordinate necessary measures in response to the threats received by hundreds of schools, including a threatening message in which the senders claimed they had planted a bomb in her car.”

One school in Rome informed parents via a messaging app that all students had been moved to a safe location and placed under the supervision of teaching staff following the warning. A spokesperson for the Rome police said that officers are investigating the matter.

The threatening messages sent to the schools were signed by “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the state of Mesogienistan,” the same name that appeared in previous bomb threat emails sent last Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.