At least 300 schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after headteachers received the same emailed bomb alert, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said. The number of schools affected was expected to rise as reports continued to come in during the morning.

Valditara, speaking to the La7 television channel, said the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes. Police forces are investigating, a spokesperson for Rome police said, and the alerts are being treated as a mass hoax while checks continue.

What the email said

According to a copy of the message seen by Reuters, the email was signed “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan”. The same message was sent to schools across the country, which is why officials quickly concluded the alerts were coordinated rather than a series of separate threats.

One school in Rome told parents: “Following a nationwide bomb alert, we wish to inform you that all students have been taken to a safe area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff.” Schools moved pupils out of classrooms as a precaution while police assessed the messages.

Reuters also reported that the same purported author claimed responsibility for email bomb threats sent on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, suggesting a single sender behind a run of similar messages across Europe.

Meloni calls a security meeting

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome for 4pm on Wednesday to take stock of the situation and coordinate the response. Those attending include Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, the heads of the intelligence services and the National Cybersecurity Agency.

The meeting brings together the government’s political leadership, police and intelligence chiefs and its cyber agency, reflecting the fact that the threat arrived by email and at national scale rather than as a local incident.

Wider concern over hybrid threats

The alert comes amid rising concern in Europe about so-called hybrid threats, which have recently targeted supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and television broadcasters, according to Reuters. European governments have been discussing how to protect critical infrastructure and supply chains, and the European Parliament is debating the issue in Brussels this week.

Valditara noted that the sheer number of schools targeted “demonstrates how little credibility the threat has”, in remarks reported by Reuters. Officials have not attributed the emails to any state or group, and the investigation is continuing.

Parents were advised to follow instructions from their children’s schools, and the education ministry is expected to update the count of affected schools as the police investigation develops. Read the original reporting from Reuters and LaPresse.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools were evacuated in Italy?
At least 300, according to Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who said the number could rise.

Were the bomb threats real?
The alerts are presumed to be hoaxes, the minister said, and police are investigating the emails.

What is the government doing?
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called a 4pm security meeting at Palazzo Chigi with deputy prime ministers, the interior and defence ministers, intelligence chiefs and the National Cybersecurity Agency.