Bomb Threats Empty 300 Schools Across Italy Amid National Panic

Rome, November 11 (Daily Kiran) : Hundreds of schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday following bomb threats communicated via email to school administrations. This alarming situation has created widespread panic throughout the country.

According to the government news channel Rai News 24, the threats were directed to several schools nationwide. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara confirmed that around 300 schools, including those in major cities like Rome, Milan, and Florence, have been affected, with the possibility of that number increasing.

In response to the threats, police and Carabinieri, Italy’s military police, initiated security checks with bomb disposal experts. So far, no evidence has been found to substantiate the threats, but as a precaution, students and teachers were sent home.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened an emergency cabinet meeting at 4 PM local time to assess the situation. Reports from La Repubblica indicate that the threatening emails were sent to at least 12 schools in the province of Rome, including primary and nursery schools. Similar threats reached 12 schools in Milan and the surrounding Lombardy region, as well as 12 schools in Naples and Campania. Schools in Turin, Sanremo, Vicenza, Bari, Cagliari, and Palermo were also targeted.

La Repubblica published a copy of one of the threatening emails, which stated, “I am Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat Misoginistan. We have come to eliminate you. We will commit genocide against Italians.” The email further claimed that a “powerful explosive device” was planted in each targeted school and that a bomb was also placed in the education minister’s car.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that police are investigating the source of the email and its credibility. Currently, little information is publicly available about the organization named Vilayat Misoginistan. Cristina Costarelli, president of the association of school heads in the Lazio region, expressed her belief that the threats may stem from a deranged individual, but acknowledged the fear and anxiety it has instigated among the public.

She remarked, “I think this is the act of a delusional person, but it has caused significant fear and unnecessary panic among people.”