Hundreds of Italian Schools Emptied in Wave of Suspected Hoax Bomb Alerts

Mass evacuations follow identical threat messages

Hundreds of schools across Italy were cleared of students on Wednesday after receiving the same bomb warning, according to the country’s education minister, Giuseppe Valditara. He said at least 300 institutions had been affected and that the figure was likely to climb.

In one Rome school, staff told parents through a messaging app that pupils had been moved to a secure location and were being supervised by teachers while the alert was assessed.

Authorities point to a hoax

Valditara told the La7 television channel that the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes. He argued that the sheer number of schools targeted showed how little credibility the threat carried.

Reports differ on how many schools actually carried out evacuations. Italian public broadcaster Rai News said more than 270 schools had received the threatening emails, with several institutions emptying their buildings as a precaution. Eight schools in Rome were among those named.

One primary school in the Tuscolano area of the capital moved its children to a nearby park while police and bomb disposal units searched the building. No explosives were found.

Wider pattern of alarms

The alerts arrive against a backdrop of heightened anxiety across Europe over hybrid warfare, a term used for campaigns that blend disruption, intimidation and cyber activity short of open conflict. Recent threats in the region have reached supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic control and television broadcasters.

Earlier in November, hundreds of Italian schools had reported threatening emails warning of explosives inside their buildings. Police searches and evacuations were reported in several regions, including Lazio, Veneto, Lombardy and Liguria.

On the same day, the Rome Prefecture confirmed a separate security incident affecting around 20 schools in the capital and described it as a cyberattack. It has not released details on its nature or on who may be responsible.

Background

Bomb threats sent by email to schools have repeatedly caused disruption in Italy, typically proving to be unfounded once inspected. The latest wave has prompted security checks at educational sites, and Italian police are investigating the matter.

What next

Officials have not said who sent the messages or whether the threats are linked to the Rome cyber incident. Authorities are expected to continue examining the emails, and the final count of affected schools is still to be confirmed.