Hundreds of schools in Italy, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland received threatening emails on Wednesday, Nov. 11, prompting evacuations across Italy and police inquiries in several jurisdictions. At least 300 Italian schools were evacuated, Reuters reported, while hundreds of schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland reported receiving threatening messages.
Police in Northern Ireland and Scotland treated the threats as hoaxes. Italian authorities said they believed the messages were hoaxes as well. Investigators have yet to establish whether the threats came from the same sender.
Bomb Threats Force Evacuations at 300 Schools Across Italy
The threats disrupted classes in Rome and across parts of Lombardy, including the provinces of Milan, Varese, and Brescia. At Rome’s Mamiani High School, students initially mistook the alarm for the recess bell and learned about the threat once they were outside, The Associated Press reported. Another school in Rome told parents that staff had moved students to a safe area and were supervising them there.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said authorities had found no indication of an immediate threat to Italian schools. She said the emails appeared designed to spread fear and called a meeting of ministers for later Wednesday. Italian police opened an investigation.
Northern Ireland Schools Told to Stay Open
More than 300 schools in Northern Ireland reported receiving a threatening email, according to Sky News. The Northern Ireland Education Authority advised schools to stay open after police assessed the threat as not credible. Schools in Scotland also received threatening emails, which police treated as hoaxes.
Reuters reviewed a copy of the email sent to Italian schools and reported that it was signed “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan.” The same name appeared in bomb threats emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria on Nov. 6. The sender’s identity remains unconfirmed.
Sources: Reuters, The Associated Press, ANSA, Sky News
By NJ RADAR Team