European schools evacuated after latest wave of bomb threats
Schools in Italy and Scotland were evacuated on Wednesday after bomb threats. In Northern Ireland schools were advised to stay open after receiving similar warnings.
Students from Bacone primary school are evacuated following a bomb threat across all school sites in Milan. (Photo: AP)
The security alerts come amid rising concerns in Europe about so-called hybrid warfare threats which have targeted supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and TV broadcasters.
At least 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving the same bomb alert message, education minister Giuseppe Valditara said.
Valditara told the La7 TV channel that the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes, adding that the number of schools affected was expected to rise.
"Following a nationwide bomb alert, we wish to inform you that all students have been taken to a safe area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff," one school in Rome informed parents through a messaging app.
Last Friday several Irish media outlets, including RTE, received hoax bomb threats linked to a series of threats against flights across Europe, which it described as "likely" part of a "coordinated campaign of disruption." (Photo: AFP)
'Little credibility'
The large number of schools affected "demonstrates how little credibility the threat has", Valditara said.
The email was signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters.
The same purported author claimed responsibility for email bomb threats sent on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.
Italian police forces are investigating the matter, a spokesperson for Rome police said.
The Northern Ireland Education Authority said on Wednesday they had been advised to stay open as the authority said police did not regard what they received as a credible threat.
"The message has similarities with a bogus threat sent last month, which was declared a hoax by PSNI (police)," the Education Authority said.
It follows the sending of bomb threats warning "the clock is ticking" to TV stations across Europe on Friday, prompting evacuations and programming to be suspended.
Warnings were sent to Irish broadcaster RTE, Britain's Sky, Bulgarian private station Nova TV and others, the companies said. No bombs were found at any affected site.
Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague, Czech Republic, was one of many to receive bomb threats, last week. (Photo: AFP)
Hoaxes and hackings
The alerts follow a string of hoax bomb threats that has disrupted passenger flights from Serbia to Finland to Spain and beyond in recent days, forcing diversions, emergency landings and security sweeps, though no explosives have been found so far.
They also come amid a growing sense of unease about hacking scams in recent weeks, including cyberattacks on supermarkets.
While no country attributed blame for the threats, they follow a wave of sabotage attacks and attempts on targets across Europe ranging from German electricity substations to defense-related facilities in the Baltic region, and supermarket refrigerators in France and elsewhere.
Many European officials have accused Russia of a campaign of "hybrid" or "grey zone" disruptions that are essentially cheap to execute, easy to deny and not expected to trigger an armed response.
No hard evidence has emerged linking the space of hoaxes to Russia which denies any involvement.