Hoax bomb threats were emailed to Italian schools for a second day on Thursday 12 November 2026, with 1,803 schools receiving warnings a day after about 6,300 were targeted, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government told schools to stay open unless there was concrete evidence of danger. No explosives or suspicious devices were found, and the authorities treated the mass emails as hoaxes designed to spread fear.

On Wednesday 11 November, schools across Italy were evacuated after about 6,300 of the country's 7,476 state schools received the emailed warnings, the latest in a series of hoaxes and cyberattacks that have recently targeted schools, supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic systems and broadcasters across Europe. Many schools closed immediately, causing widespread disruption as parents rushed to collect their children, and at least 300 schools were evacuated. Reuters reported that police in Rome said Thursday's reports came in on a smaller scale than Wednesday's and that there was nothing to substantiate them.

What the emails said

A copy of the message seen by Reuters was signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan", and also included a threat to target Prime Minister Meloni. The same purported author had previously claimed responsibility for email bomb threats sent to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria. A national security source told Reuters that the school email addresses were public, saying that sending the bomb alert messages "was as easy as drinking a glass of water".

Meloni said the alerts posed no danger and that police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats were part of a clear strategy "to spread fear and create anxiety", while adding that such threats did not always come from foreign countries and could also come from attention-seekers.

A new rule for the next alarm

After the second day of threats, Meloni's government said public buildings should generally not be evacuated unless there is concrete evidence of danger. "Buildings should not be evacuated in the absence of concrete elements beyond the mere receipt of a mass email that would suggest a genuine danger exists," the Prime Minister's office said. The government said it would introduce a protocol for handling mass threat emails aimed at limiting their impact.

Meloni summoned opposition leaders to her office for a two-hour meeting on how to handle similar incidents. Opposition leaders said it was up to the government to come forward with proposals, but criticised what they described as inadequate investment in cybersecurity. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the alarm could have been dealt with "using a good antivirus programme", while Elly Schlein, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, called for stronger coordination between the bodies responsible for cybersecurity.

The same threats reached Ireland and the UK

Italy was not the only country targeted. Authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many schools had received a similar threatening email from abroad, but classified it as a hoax and allowed classes to continue. Nicola Fratoianni of the Green-Left Alliance said opposition leaders had asked Meloni why, in Ireland, authorities had warned schools in advance and told them to remain open because the emails were not considered a threat.

Part of a wider pattern

Some European officials suspect Russia may be behind a campaign of disruption to everyday life in European nations supporting Ukraine after Moscow's invasion. Italian officials have so far said there was no evidence of that, and Russia denies involvement and accuses the West of a smear campaign. Antonello Giannelli, head of the Italian School Principals Association, said that even though the threats were clearly hoaxes, their consequences for students, families and school staff should not be underestimated.