False Bomb Alerts Confuse Schools in Italy, Britain, and Ireland
Schools in Italy and Ireland evacuated due to false electronic threats.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Italy evacuated more than 300 schools on Wednesday after receiving false bomb threats, as part of a wave of similar warnings that swept across several European countries. This incident marks the latest episode in a series of cyber threats and attacks targeting stores, blood bank centers, flights, and television stations.
Authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland also reported that threatening messages were sent via email to a large number of schools from abroad on Wednesday, but they were quickly determined to be false and did not disrupt classes.
In Italy, many parents were forced to leave their jobs and rush to school gates to pick up their children.
One school in Rome informed parents via a messaging app that “all students have been moved to a safe area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff.”
The same individual, who claimed responsibility for the messages, had previously asserted responsibility for bomb threats sent via email on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.
Some European officials suspect that Russia may be involved in a campaign aimed at disrupting daily life in European countries supporting Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
France recalled the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday after accusing Tehran of launching a cyberattack that disrupted refrigerators in hundreds of major supermarket chains last week.
Italian news agency ADN Kronos quoted Defense Minister Guido Crosetto as saying that today’s threats “are part of a strategy that has now become quite clear: spreading fear and inciting anxiety.”
He added that there are also those seeking to draw attention or mentally unstable individuals who see such times as an opportunity to spread terror in a city or region.
