Schools across Europe were disrupted after bomb threat emails targeted educational institutions in Italy, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday (11 Nov). Authorities across the affected countries assessed the threats as hoaxes, with no credible danger identified, while investigations into the origin of the emails continue.
In Italy, more than 6,300 schools received the messages, prompting precautionary evacuations at hundreds of schools. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was no concrete danger, while Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats appeared intended to spread fear and disruption, adding they could also have originated from individuals seeking attention rather than hostile foreign actors.
Key developments
- Bomb threat emails targeted schools in Italy, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- More than 6,300 Italian schools received the messages, with hundreds evacuated as a precaution.
- Authorities found no credible threat and reported no explosives or injuries.
The school threats come amid a wider series of disruptive incidents affecting European services and infrastructure.
Recent weeks have seen cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across several countries, including France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland and Luxembourg, where attackers remotely altered temperature controls and forced retailers to discard food.
Authorities have also investigated other hoax security alerts affecting aviation and public organisations. While the incidents have raised concerns over Europe’s resilience against disruptive threats, investigators have not established whether they are connected or identified a common perpetrator.