Mass bomb threat prompts evacuation of over 300 Italian schools

Over 300 schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday following a widespread series of anonymous bomb threats sent via email, according to sources and education officials. Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara confirmed the massive scope of the alerts during an interview with the La7 television channel, warning that the number of affected educational institutions could rise as reports continue to come in from various cities. In response to the messages, school administrations immediately implemented safety protocols, moving thousands of students and staff to designated safe areas while law enforcement and specialized bomb units conducted thorough security sweeps across the impacted premises. According to a government source, the threatening emails were signed under the alias “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan,” following a similar incident in recent days where an alert was sent to 280 school principals. Italian police forces are actively investigating the origin of the digital threats, which arrive amid growing European security concerns regarding hybrid warfare tactics and digital disruption targeting critical public infrastructure.