World

Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy

November 12, 2026 11:01 am

Source: Reuters

Schools across Italy were evacuated on ‌Wednesday after around 6,300 of them received bomb warnings, the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks around Europe against supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and broadcasters.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many of their schools received a similar email threat from abroad but it was classed as ​a hoax and did not disrupt classes.

In Italy, schools closed swiftly after the warnings, prompting many parents to drop what they ​were doing to collect children.

“My daughter Dafne started crying because the kids did not understand what ⁠was happening, and she was still shaken when I picked her up,” said Nensi Bego, parent of a child at ​the Mazzini middle school in Rome.

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“This is so annoying. It’s obvious it’s just a hoax that disrupts lessons and disrupts everyone’s ​day.”

A copy of the message seen by Reuters also included a threat to target Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

She said the bomb alerts posed no danger and that police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation.