Italian schools evacuated again after mass bomb threat emails
Officials say no devices have been found, while parents press for clear national guidance after a second day of threats.
Key points
- Italian schools were targeted by bomb threat messages again on a second consecutive day, according to BBC News
- About 1,800 schools reported threats similar to Wednesday's email, with no devices found
- The government said buildings should not be cleared based only on a mass email
- Threats in Scotland and Northern Ireland were reported on Wednesday; a link is unclear
- A bomb alert at a Calais rail station disrupted train services in northern France
Italian schools were hit by bomb threat messages on a second consecutive day, according to BBC News, and several buildings were cleared again. Roughly 1,800 institutions, spanning Milan in the north and Sicily in the south, said they had received a warning resembling the one that caused disruption on Wednesday. No explosive devices have been located at any of them.
The government has told schools not to clear buildings when a mass email is the only warning they have. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described the campaign as a deliberate attempt to spread alarm and worry.
What the emails contained
Wednesday’s message went to 6,300 of the country’s 7,476 state schools. The sender used the name Mikhail Andropov and was described as the head of a group called Vilayat di Misoginistan. Some officials believe the message was sent from Taiwan.
A second email on Thursday carried the same signature. It appears to have been dispatched through the email account of a teacher in the Philippines, which may have been broken into without permission. Police are treating the threatening emails as hoaxes.
A wider run of threats
The newest warnings arrived shortly after a run of false bomb reports the previous week, aimed at airports and airlines in several European states. An extremist misogynistic group claimed some of those threats, but later said it had no involvement in the false warnings. It remains unclear whether the school cases share the same source.
Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland also received threats on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, a bomb alert at a rail station in Calais, France, held up international and domestic train services in the north of the country. The reports do not say whether that alert is linked to the school threats.
Parents demand answers
Many parents are worried and want the government to provide clearer information and take firmer steps. La Repubblica reports that demonstrations followed a decision by the head of a Rome secondary school, who took no action. She judged the threatening note to be a counterfeit because it contained spelling mistakes. Demonstrators are calling for updated nationwide rules, the newspaper says.
The repeated alerts have left families, school staff and local authorities facing disruption, while the source of the messages is still under examination. Further details about the investigation have not been confirmed in the reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Were any bombs found at Italian schools?
No devices have been found at any of the schools that reported threats, according to BBC News. Officials are treating the emails as hoaxes.
What has the Italian government told schools to do?
The government has told schools not to clear buildings when a mass email is the only warning. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called the threats a deliberate attempt to cause alarm.
Are the school threats linked to other bomb hoaxes?
It is unclear whether the incidents are connected. Last week, bomb hoaxes targeted airports and airlines in several European countries, and an extremist group later denied any link.
Sources
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