Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, UK and Ireland

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that authorities are monitoring the situation, declaring the bomb threats in schools across the country as harmless. On Wednesday, around 6,300 Italian schools received bomb warnings, part of a series of cyberattacks targeting various European targets including supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic control, and broadcasters.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland reported similar email threats to their schools, but these were deemed hoaxes and did not disrupt classes. In Italy, schools promptly closed following the warnings, causing distress and confusion among parents and students.

One parent, Nensi Bego, recounted her daughter Dafne's distress as they picked her up from Mazzini middle school in Rome. The message included a threat against Prime Minister Meloni, but Meloni assured the public that the bomb alerts posed no danger and that police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation. All students have been relocated to a secure area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff.

National security sources claim that sending the bomb alert messages was as simple as drinking a glass of water. The purported author behind the emails signed them with the name Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan. A national security source told Reuters that the act was "as easy as drinking a glass of water."

European officials suspect potential involvement from Russia, Russia and Iran deny these accusations, with Russia accusing the West of smear campaigns and Iran dismissing the allegations as "baseless and hostile." Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated that the threats were part of a deliberate strategy to spread fear and anxiety, emphasizing that such incidents, though hoaxes, can have significant consequences for school communities and education.

Antonello Giannelli, head of the Italian School Principals Association, echoed these concerns, stressing the unsettling impact of the alerts on students, families, and school staff.