Italy revised security measures after mass threats to schools
In Italy, for the second day in a row, thousands of schools are receiving emails with bomb threats. However, after mass evacuations the day before, the country's authorities changed the procedure for responding to such messages and recommended that educational institutions continue working if there are no specific signs of danger.
This was reported on Thursday, November 12, by Reuters, citing the Italian government.
According to the office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on November 12, 3,778 schools received threatening messages. At the same time, evacuation was carried out in only 77 institutions, and lessons resumed in 36 of them on the same day.
A day earlier, on November 11, similar emails were sent to about 6,300 Italian schools. Classes were interrupted in many educational institutions at that time, and parents were asked to urgently pick up their children.
The mass evacuations caused serious disruptions to the educational process and concern among the population. Checks by law enforcement officers did not reveal explosive devices or other confirmation of the threats.
In response, the Meloni government changed the recommendations for schools: receiving a mass email with a bomb threat should no longer automatically lead to evacuation.
According to the new instructions, the decision to evacuate can be made by the local prefect if there are specific and reasonable signs of real danger. In other cases, classes should continue as usual.
The government noted that the sharp reduction in the number of evacuations on November 12 testifies to the effectiveness of the new approach.
The new wave of messages also contained threats against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The letters, as on the previous day, were signed with the name “Mikhail Andropov.”
Italian law enforcement agencies are identifying the senders of the messages. The anti-terrorism unit of the Rome prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the mass dissemination of false warnings and threats with aggravating circumstances.
Against this background, Meloni held a meeting with leaders of opposition parties dedicated to countering such incidents. The government intends to develop additional measures to prevent the shutdown of schools and other public institutions due to unconfirmed messages.
Opposition representatives, in turn, criticized the government's investments in cybersecurity, which they consider insufficient.
Educational institutions in Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland received similar threats. Local law enforcement agencies also deemed the messages unreliable and did not conduct mass evacuations.
The series of incidents takes place against the backdrop of an increase in false reports of explosive devices and cyberattacks on European organizations, including airlines, supermarkets, medical institutions and the media.
Some European officials suspect Russia of involvement in a campaign to destabilize everyday life in countries supporting Ukraine. However, Italian authorities stressed that they currently have no evidence of a Russian trace in the threats to schools. Moscow denies involvement in such actions.
