In Europe, over 6,300 schools across Italy and over 700 in Scotland and Northern Ireland have received bomb threats, leading to evacuations. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said initial checks found no evidence of a concrete threat. She described the messages as an apparent attempt to spread panic.

 

In Scotland, Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said there was no risk to the public. Police assessed the warnings as hoaxes and launched investigations to trace their source.

Northern Ireland authorities advised schools to remain open unless police told them otherwise. Italy’s Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara also said the incidents were likely a cyberattack, not a genuine security threat.

 

The incidents caused alarm among parents and school staff, but authorities said investigations are continuing.

European officials suspect Russia of orchestrating disruptions in countries supporting Ukraine, an allegation Moscow denies.

 

Iran is also under suspicion after France accused it of a cyberattack that disabled refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets. Tehran has also rejected the allegations as baseless and hostile.