More than 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after an emailed bomb threat, according to Reuters, while AP reported around 300 schools were affected. Similar messages reached schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but authorities there classified them as hoaxes and classes continued, Reuters reported. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said authorities had no indication of a concrete danger to the schools as investigations continued.

Italy’s school evacuations followed an emailed threat

Italian schools evacuated students after receiving a threat by email, sending parents to collect children and prompting police checks at school buildings. The precise count was reported as more than 300 by Reuters. AP also reported about 300 schools affected, citing Italy’s education minister through the news agency LaPresse; AP said the ministry had not immediately responded to a request for confirmation.

Meloni said there was no indication of a concrete danger to Italian schools and that investigations were underway. Reuters reported that the prime minister said police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation. The reports do not identify a confirmed sender, and authorities have not publicly established responsibility.

Similar alerts reached schools in Ireland and Scotland

Reuters reported that schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also received similar emails from abroad. Authorities in those areas quickly treated the messages as hoaxes, and the alerts did not disrupt classes, Reuters said.

The school messages add to a series of threats and disruptive incidents affecting European institutions in recent weeks. Reuters cited previous threats against newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, as well as incidents involving supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and television broadcasters. Officials have discussed possible links in some of those cases, but no sender has been confirmed for the school threats reported Wednesday.

Sources

Associated Press: Some 300 Italian schools evacuated due to bomb threats · Reuters: Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, UK and Ireland

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