{
  "id": 19500402,
  "title": "Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, UK, Ireland in latest disruption",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/hoax-bomb-alerts-sent-to-schools-in-italy-uk-ireland-in-latest",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T13:14:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2043808/hoax-bomb-alerts-sent-to-schools-in-italy-uk-ireland-in-latest-disruption"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A series of hoax bomb alerts were sent to over 300 schools in Italy on Wednesday, prompting evacuations across the country. This latest round of threats adds to a growing trend of disruptions and cyberattacks targeting various aspects of European life, including supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and TV broadcasters. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland also received similar email threats, but these were quickly identified as hoaxes and did not disrupt classes.\n\nIn Italy, many parents were forced to leave work and rush to pick up their children due to the sudden evacuation orders. One parent, Nensi Bego, recounted her daughter Dafne's distress upon realizing what was happening. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni assured the public that the bomb alerts posed no danger and that police and other authorities were monitoring the situation. The email threat, signed by a purported \"Mikhail Andropov,\" claimed responsibility for similar bomb threats sent to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria on Friday.\n\nRussian and Iranian officials have denied accusations of involvement in the campaign of disruption, with Iran even accusing the West of a smear campaign. Italy's Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, characterized the threats as part of a strategy to spread fear and anxiety, emphasizing that they are not always the work of foreign entities or hostile groups. Some experts, like Antonello Giannelli from the Italian School Principals Association, noted the unsettling impact on students, families, and school staff, despite acknowledging that the alerts in question were hoaxes.",
  "summary": "More than 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after hoax bomb alerts in several European nations, the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks on supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and TV broadcasters . Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many of their schools also received a similar email threat from abroad but it was quickly classed as a hoax and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "🔴Italy: At least 300 schools evacuated after email bomb alerts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/italy-at-least-300-schools-evacuated-after-email-bomb-alerts",
        "published": "2026-11-11T10:59:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Bomb threat emails trigger evacuation of 300 schools across Italy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/bomb-threat-emails-trigger-evacuation-of-300-schools-across-italy",
        "published": "2026-11-11T11:44:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Schools evacuated across Italy after bomb threats",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/schools-evacuated-across-italy-after-bomb-threats",
        "published": "2026-11-11T11:57:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy and Northern Ireland in latest threats",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/bomb-alerts-sent-to-schools-in-italy-and-northern-ireland-in-latest",
        "published": "2026-11-11T11:59:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy and Northern Ireland in latest threats",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/bomb-alerts-sent-to-schools-in-italy-and-northern-ireland-in-latest-19494343",
        "published": "2026-11-11T12:37:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Italy evacuates over 300 schools after bomb threats; similar alerts reported in UK, Ireland",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/italy-evacuates-over-300-schools-after-bomb-threats-similar-alerts",
        "published": "2026-11-11T13:49:17.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}