On Wednesday, around 300 schools across Italy were evacuated after receiving identical bomb threat emails. The alerts prompted swift action from authorities, with Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara indicating that the number of affected schools could increase. In a communication to parents, one school in Rome reassured them that all students had been moved to safe areas under the supervision of teaching staff. The threatening email was reportedly signed by "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," a name linked to previous bomb threats sent to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria just days earlier, according to a government source.

The incident underscores rising concerns in Europe regarding hybrid warfare tactics, which have recently targeted various sectors including supermarkets and air traffic. Valditara suggested that the extensive nature of the evacuations illustrates the lack of credibility in the threats, stating, "the large number of schools affected demonstrates how little credibility the threat has." Meanwhile, police in Northern Ireland are investigating similar threatening emails sent to hundreds of schools, which the Education Authority (EA) noted bear resemblance to hoaxes from the previous month, asserting that there is currently no evidence of a credible threat.S1

In Scotland, Police Scotland reported that threatening messages were also sent to several schools, which are being treated as hoaxes. The EA in Northern Ireland expressed understanding of the distress caused by such messages and committed to providing updates as investigations continue. As authorities work to assess the situation, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland has advised schools to remain open unless directed otherwise by police.S1S2