Italian Schools Evacuated Amid Bomb Threats

Fresh Evacuations of Italian Schools

Italian schools received bomb threats for the second consecutive day, leading to the evacuation of 77 buildings on Thursday. The incidents, which began on Wednesday, have also been reported in Scotland and Northern Ireland, though authorities are investigating whether the events are connected.

Scale of the Threat

As of Thursday, approximately 3,778 schools across Italy – ranging from Milan to Sicily – had received similar threats. This follows a previous incident on Wednesday that resulted in the evacuation of numerous schools.

Government Guidance

The Italian government has advised schools to refrain from immediate evacuation unless concrete evidence of a danger is presented. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the government will develop “sector-specific” advice to address these threats. According to La Repubblica, protests have been held demanding new national guidelines.

Origin of the Threats

Wednesday’s initial email threat, sent to 6,300 schools out of 7,476, was attributed to a purported “Mikhail Andropov, leader of Vilayat di Misoginistan”. A subsequent threat, sent on Thursday and originating from a hacked teacher’s account in the Philippines, bore the same signature. Authorities are investigating the source of these messages.

Response to Previous Hoax

A protest occurred in Rome following a decision by a school headmaster to dismiss a threatening message as a hoax due to typos. Protesters are calling for national guidelines to be established to ensure appropriate responses to such threats.

Related Incidents

The latest incidents follow a series of bomb hoaxes targeting airports and airlines in several European countries last week. While some claims linked the hoaxes to an extremist group, that group later denied any involvement.

Ongoing Investigations

A bomb alert at a Calais rail station in France on Thursday delayed train services. Authorities are investigating the connection between the Italian, UK, Irish, and French incidents.

Source: BBC. Featured image credit: BBC.