Hundreds of schools in Britain and Europe receive bomb threats

Police evacuated students from numerous schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland after receiving emails threatening bomb attacks. Several schools sent students home.

Police Scotland said the emails were being treated as hoax threats. No credible threat to public safety had been identified.

On the same morning, at least 300 schools in Italy received similar bomb threats. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the emails claimed explosives had been placed inside school buildings. The messages also claimed that a bomb had been placed in the Italian prime minister’s car.

Emergency security measures were taken in several areas, including Rome, Milan, Naples and Bologna.

Last week, emails containing threats sent to several television stations across Europe also used the same sender’s name. Over the past two weeks, airlines and media outlets in Britain and other European countries have also received bomb threats. However, all the threats were later found to be hoaxes.

According to a report by The Herald, all schools in Edinburgh were evacuated for a short period in the morning. Classes were also disrupted at many schools in the Highlands and Fife.

In Kinross, students who left their classrooms were given special thermal blankets to protect them from the cold.

Leslie Primary School in Fife informed parents that “hundreds” of schools had received threatening emails. Northern Ireland’s education authorities also said that an email had been sent to a large number of schools in the region.

Police Scotland said the messages had been sent to various email lists across the United Kingdom. Police advised that schools did not need to be evacuated or children kept away from school solely on the basis of these emails.

The police’s Cyber and Fraud Investigation Unit is working to identify the source of the messages. It is also coordinating with law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and other countries.

Similar hoax bomb threats were reported in Scotland and Northern Ireland in October. At that time, threatening messages reportedly reached around 300 schools before 9:00 a.m.

Bomb Scare at 300 Schools in Italy

As on any other day, Italy was bustling with children heading to school on Wednesday morning. Classes had begun when bomb threats arrived through emails.

Immediately after the threats were received, students, teachers and staff members were safely evacuated from various schools.

Police officers, bomb disposal teams and other law enforcement personnel were deployed to manage the situation. Thorough searches were conducted inside each school building.

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said at least 300 schools had been affected by the bomb scare.

Initial information indicated that anonymous emails had been sent under the identity of a person named “Mikhail Andropov.” The messages threatened violent attacks against Italians and claimed that explosives had been placed inside schools.

However, it has not yet been confirmed who was behind the threats or whether any explosives were actually present at any location.

Amid the situation, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement on her verified Facebook account. She said the government was monitoring the matter very seriously.

So far, investigations have found no evidence of any real danger. According to her, the threats may have been intended to spread panic and anxiety.

She also called an emergency meeting at Palazzo Chigi to review the situation and coordinate further steps.

According to a report by Italian state broadcaster Rai News, threatening emails were sent to many schools in several cities across the Emilia-Romagna region, including Modena, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna and Forli. The threats triggered panic at schools across the region.

Earlier, on November 2, similar bomb scares had spread across several schools in the Liguria, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions.

Police are investigating whether an organized group is behind the series of threats. Cyber investigations are also underway to identify the source of the emails.

School authorities have been instructed to remain especially vigilant to ensure the highest level of security for students.

However, no explosions or casualties have been reported so far.