On a Wednesday morning that began like any other, an email arrived in thousands of inboxes and turned ordinary school gates into points of anxiety across Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most of those who read it saw through its absurd, almost comic menace, as one Milan headteacher did when he recognised spam and simply kept his doors open. Yet the episode reminds us how quickly a few lines of text, sent from nowhere in particular, can summon fear into the lives of children and the adults who protect them. Whether a single hand lies behind these threats, or many imitators borrowing the sa
Thousands of Italian, Scottish and Northern Irish schools hit by bomb threats officials say are hoaxes
Thousands of pupils, parents and staff were alarmed and some schools were evacuated, though no injuries were reported.
"It was like a message from Martians"
Mark
Why did one email cause so much disruption?
Mimi
Scale. It reached 6,300 of Italy's 7,476 state schools at once, so even a small share of cautious evacuations adds up. Another 700-plus schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland got similar messages.
Mark
But some heads just shrugged it off.
Mimi
Yes. Massimo Nunzio Barrella in Milan spotted spam at 08:59 and stayed put. Anna Bertato found the sender's address had already been flagged as spam by a student in Taiwan.
Luke
Worth noting that's one headteacher's account of what she found online. It isn't an official finding about where the email came from.
Mark
Are the Italian and British waves linked?
Mimi
The wording is similar and both name Mikhail Andropov, but the groups attached differ: Vilayat di Misoginistan in Italy, a Red Owl project in Scotland.
Luke
And the report says plainly it's unclear whether they're connected. Similar names aren't proof of a common author.
Mark
What about the misogynistic group from last week's airport hoaxes?
Mimi
It claimed some of those threats, then denied any link to the false warnings.
Luke
So nobody has been identified. Valditara calls it probably a cyber-attack and sees a strategy, but that's an assessment, not an attribution.
Mark
Was anyone hurt?
Mimi
No injuries were reported, though some schools were evacuated and parents were alarmed.
O Pulso
- A single email reached some 6,300 Italian state schools within hours, sending parents rushing and triggering evacuations.
- Scottish and Northern Irish schools, more than 700 in all, received near-identical threats signed by the same bizarre invented leader.
- Italian leaders call the warnings a deliberate strategy to sow alarm, while police in Scotland urge that no school be emptied on the strength of the emails alone.
- Cyber-crime specialists are tracing the sender, and the schools wave is being examined alongside last week's hoaxes against airports, airlines, supermarkets and hospitals.
- Checks have so far found no danger and no injuries, and pupils are returning to class as the alarm recedes.
On a Wednesday morning that began like any other, an email arrived in thousands of inboxes and turned ordinary school gates into points of anxiety across Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most of those who read it saw through its absurd, almost comic menace, as one Milan headteacher did when he recognised spam and simply kept his doors open. Yet the episode reminds us how quickly a few lines of text, sent from nowhere in particular, can summon fear into the lives of children and the adults who protect them. Whether a single hand lies behind these threats, or many imitators borrowing the same script, remains an open question that investigators are only beginning to answer.
At 08:59 on Wednesday, an email reached the inbox of Massimo Nunzio Barrella, a headteacher in Milan. He read it, recognised it as spam, and chose not to evacuate. He calmed the parents who telephoned, and later described the message as reading like a note from Martians planning to annihilate everyone. He admitted he had a laugh about it.
Not everyone could take it so lightly. Italian officials said the same email appeared to have been sent to 6,300 of the country's 7,476 state schools. Private schools were spared. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, more than 700 schools received bomb threats. The Italian message was signed by a self-styled "Mikhail Andropov, leader of Vilayat di Misoginistan", and the British version used the same name, now described as leader of a "Red Owl" project. It is not yet clear whether the incidents are connected.
In Italy, several buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said checks had found no concrete danger and described the reports as part of a strategy to cause alarm. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara suggested a cyber-attack rather than a genuine threat. Many schools emptied at first, then pupils returned to class once the alarm was lifted, though some parents kept their children home for the day.
In Scotland, police judged the warnings to be hoaxes from the outset, though some schools were still evacuated. Police Scotland advised against closing schools on the strength of the emails alone. Education secretary Mairi McAllan stressed there was no risk to the public and spoke, as a parent, of how frightening the messages must be. In Northern Ireland, schools were told to stay open unless police advised otherwise.
The school threats follow last week's bomb hoaxes against Italian airports and airlines elsewhere in Europe. An extremist misogynistic group claimed some of those, then denied any link. No one was hurt. The open questions now are where the emails came from and whether schools and flights were targeted by the same hand.
At 08:59 on Wednesday morning, an email landed in the inbox of Massimo Nunzio Barrella, a headteacher in Milan. He read it and recognised it as spam. He decided not to evacuate his school and calmed the parents who phoned in. The message, he told the Adnkronos news agency, read almost like a note from Martians announcing they had come to annihilate everyone, and he admitted he had a bit of a laugh.
Not everyone could treat it so lightly. Italian officials said a single email appeared to have gone out on Wednesday to 6,300 of the country's 7,476 state schools. Private schools were not affected. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, more than 700 schools received bomb threats, according to local authorities.
The Italian message was signed by a certain "Mikhail Andropov, leader of Vilayat di Misoginistan". The BBC has seen the email sent to Scottish schools, which had similar wording and also used the name Mikhail Andropov, though there he was described as leader of a "Red Owl" project. Whether the Italian and British incidents are connected is unclear.
In Italy, a number of buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said checks so far had found no evidence of "concrete danger", and wrote on Facebook that the reports seemed tied to a strategy meant to cause alarm and concern. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said the episode was probably a cyber-attack rather than a genuine risk. He added that there appeared to be a clear strategy behind a rash of threats across Europe that have targeted flights, supermarkets and even hospitals. Many schools were evacuated at first, but the alarm was lifted quickly and pupils went back to class. Some parents took their children home for the day, though most Milan schools did not send pupils home. Umbria's regional head, Stefania Proietti, said checks in schools there had so far proved negative and that law enforcement was verifying each report.
Another Milan headteacher, Anna Bertato, said she had looked up the sender's address online and found it had already been flagged as spam by a student at a university in Taiwan. Italian reports say some 280 headteachers had received threats in the preceding days.
In Scotland, police said the warnings were immediately assessed as hoaxes. Even so, some local authorities confirmed that certain schools had been evacuated. Police Scotland's advice was that there is no need to evacuate schools or keep children home based solely on what the emails say. Education secretary Mairi McAllan said there was no risk to the public and that specialist cyber-crime officers were working to identify the source. Speaking as a parent and a constituency MSP, she said she understood how worrying this would be for parents, pupils, carers and school staff. In Northern Ireland, education officials told schools to stay open unless police advised otherwise.
The schools wave follows bomb hoaxes last week that hit Italian airports and airlines elsewhere in Europe, causing scares, evacuations and widespread disruption. An extremist misogynistic group claimed some of those threats but later denied any link to the false warnings.
No injuries were reported. What to watch now is whether investigators can trace the origin of the emails and establish whether the school threats and the earlier hoaxes share a source.
Citações Notáveis
These reports appear rather linked to a strategy intended to cause alarm and concern.— Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister
There is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails.— Police Scotland
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