About 300 schools in Italy evacuated due to bomb threats

Cerca of 300 schools throughout Italy received e-mails with bomb threats and had to be evacuated, the government announced, admitting that this number should increase.

In view of this new wave of false bomb alerts that have hit the country in various sectors, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a meeting for 16:00 locals(15:00 in Lisbon), Palazzo Chigi, executive headquarters, to assess the situation and coordinate the necessary measures.

“The government is closely monitoring the numerous reports of bomb threats in schools,” Meloni said on social media, adding that “security forces and public institutions in all spheres are working to keep the situation under control and reassure citizens, families and school teams.”.

According to Meloni, “So far, the checks have revealed no indication of a concrete danger” and, “actually, these reports seem to be part of a strategy aimed at causing alarm and concern, an issue that is currently under thorough investigation”.

Sources from the Palazzo Chigi reported that the meeting will be attended by Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani (also Foreign Minister) and Matteo Salvini (also Minister of Transport), and by Ministers Matteo Piantedosi (Interior) and Guido Crosetto (Defesa), the undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Alfredo Mantovano, as well as senior representatives of information services and the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN).

In statements to the press, Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara commented that the perpetrators of the threats “have already targeted flights, supermarkets and even hospitals” in Europe, considering therefore “of course there is an ongoing strategy”.

The minister acknowledged that “it is difficult to say at this time who may be behind this,” but ensured that “information services are of course working to identify them.”.

“ The judiciary will conduct its own investigations, but it is clear that we need to protect ourselves and security investments are essential [...] But first of all, I would like to reassure the population: the high number of schools involved suggests that the threat is not very credible. We must remain vigilant, but also recognize that in a scenario where hybrid warfare is increasingly used to destabilize nations and economies, we need to be prepared,” Valditara said.

“ Thus, our government has acted correctly by asking the European Commission for authorisation to cross the limits of the Stability Pact, specifically to invest in cybersecurity. In the past, these issues have been neglected, but the ability to defend ourselves and identify those who attack us is fundamental,” Valditara said.