Bomb Threats Force Evacuations at Hundreds of European Schools
Authorities in Italy, Scotland, and Northern Ireland evacuated hundreds of schools Wednesday following emailed bomb threats that officials have since dismissed as hoaxes.
Hundreds of schools across Italy, Scotland, and Northern Ireland were evacuated on Wednesday, November 11, after receiving emailed bomb threats. The messages were signed by an individual claiming to be Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan, and alleged that remote-controlled explosives had been placed in buildings. The threats also specifically targeted the Italian prime minister.
Law enforcement agencies in all three regions treated the alerts as hoaxes, stating there is no credible risk to the public. In Italy, at least 300 schools were evacuated, including sites in Rome, Milan, Naples, and Bologna. Similar disruptions occurred in Edinburgh, the Highlands, and Fife in Scotland, as well as across Northern Ireland.
Guido Crosetto, the Italian Defence Minister, characterized the threats as a strategy to spread fear and anxiety. This incident follows a pattern of similar disruptions across Europe targeting passenger flights, blood banks, supermarkets, and newsrooms in Bulgaria and Ireland. While some European officials suspect these hybrid threats are part of a Russian campaign to destabilize nations supporting Ukraine, Moscow has denied any involvement.
