{
  "id": 19507100,
  "title": "Thousands of schools in Europe get hoax bomb threats",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/thousands-of-schools-in-europe-get-hoax-bomb-threats",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T14:49:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bomb-threat-schools-europe-italy-uk-ireland-hoaxes-hybrid-warfare-iran-russia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rome and London reported Wednesday that thousands of European schools were targeted with hoax bomb threats, leading to emergency evacuations in Italy. The messages were sent to over 6,300 schools in Italy and hundreds in Ireland and the United Kingdom. No explosives or suspicious devices were found, but investigations were ongoing. This comes less than a week after over 20 commercial flights in Europe received fake bomb threats, causing many to divert course. Authorities have not blamed anyone yet for the bomb hoaxes but are concerned about the use of hybrid warfare tactics by Iran and Russia against Europe. Schools in Rome, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Bologna and other cities were impacted, with lessons suspended and precautionary evacuations ordered. Police, bomb disposal specialists and the Postal Police conducted inspections and probed the origin of the messages. Italian authorities traced the threats to a Russian misogynistic extremist group, Vilayat of Misoginistan, which has been banned by Moscow. An email received by the schools purportedly from the group leader Mikhail Andropov threatened annihilation and mentioned a remote detonator in a plastic bag at the prime minister's building. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed the threats as part of a strategy to cause alarm and concern. This is the third wave of school threats in a month, following previous messages on October 19 and November 2. Ireland's national police deemed the latest threat not credible and did not advise evacuations. Northern Ireland's police also stated the emails appeared to originate outside the UK. The threats coincide with international investigations into cyberattacks on grocery store refrigeration units, blood banks in France, and hybrid warfare sabotage efforts linked to Russia and Iran. The New York Times and Reuters reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent evacuated to a military base following an Iranian threat to his life. In October, MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum warned that security threats in the UK and Europe were evolving, with malicious actors targeting people, businesses and communities. Russia and Iran are accused of escalating their hybrid warfare attempts, with Iran shifting focus to harder targets like military bases and using criminal proxies to intimidate oppositionists, oppositionists, and Israeli sites across Europe. Experts suggest Russia and Iran recruit sometimes-unwitting criminals for sabotage attacks, offering small payouts.",
  "summary": "Less than a week after more than 20 European flights got fake bomb threats, hundreds of schools in Italy, the U.K. and Ireland were hit by similar hoaxes.",
  "key_points": [
    "Over 6,300 European schools targeted with hoax bomb threats.",
    "Italian authorities traced threats to Russian extremist group Vilayat of Misoginistan.",
    "Threats coincide with international cyberattacks and hybrid warfare concerns."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}