Bomb Threat Emails Prompt Evacuations at 300 Italian Schools

Italian authorities evacuated about 300 schools on November 11 after an emailed threat prompted alarms across the country. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said that many schools had received threatening messages. Police were investigating who sent them, and the exact number of schools affected was initially unclear as individual schools made evacuation decisions in consultation with local police.

Meloni said there was no indication of an immediate, concrete threat to schools and described the apparent aim as provoking unease and anxiety. Authorities were looking into the matter, and she called a meeting of ministers for later on November 11. The anonymous email also threatened Meloni, though she did not address that threat in her statement.

In central Rome, the Quirinio Visconti primary school was evacuated, and parents were asked to collect children. Students at Mamiani high school also went outside; one student said they initially mistook the alarm for a break bell and learned about the threat only after leaving the building.

The evacuations came amid other recent disruptions in Europe following false bomb threats against airlines and broadcasters. Authorities continued investigating the messages and their source.