Hundreds of European schools evacuated following hoax email bomb threats

Hundreds of schools across Europe received threatening emails on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, prompting evacuations in some nations and triggering police investigations into what officials described as widespread hoaxes intended to create fear and anxiety.

Widespread Disruptions and Evacuations Across European Nations

Educational establishments across Italy, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland received threatening emails, prompting varying operational responses from local authorities. In Italy, at least 300 schools were evacuated. Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara told La7 TV channel that the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes and noted that the number of schools affected was expected to rise. Parents hurried to school gates to collect distressed children. Nensi Bego, parent of a child at the Mazzini middle school in Rome, said, "My daughter Dafne started crying because the kids did not understand what was happening, and she was still shaken when I picked her up." Antonello Giannelli, head of the Italian School Principals Association, stated, "Even though today's threats are clearly hoaxes, we cannot underestimate the consequences of incidents that alarm entire school communities and disrupt the normal conduct of educational activities."

Operational responses differed by jurisdiction. According to regional reports, 470 schools in Scotland spanning Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, and the Highlands received the emails, alongside more than 300 schools in Northern Ireland and institutions in the Republic of Ireland. While authorities across all areas deemed the threats not credible, approaches to school operations varied. In Northern Ireland, the Education Authority advised schools to stay open as police did not regard the threat as credible, and the Department of Education similarly advised schools to remain open unless otherwise advised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). In Scotland, police stated there was "no requirement to evacuate schools."

Content of Threats and Attribution Claims

The threatening messages shared specific signatures and phrasing. The email received in Italy 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. In the Republic of Ireland, local newspaper Limerick Leader reported that the message sent to affected schools read: “I left a powerful explosive device with a remote detonator in a plastic bag inside your building.” Furthermore, Italian media reported that the anonymous email received in Italy contained a threat against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Government Reactions and Broader Hybrid Warfare Concerns

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated there was no indication of any “concrete danger” to Italian schools and that the threats appeared aimed at “generating alarm and concern.” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats were “part of a strategy that is quite clear by now: to spread fear and create anxiety,” adding: “It is not always the work of foreign countries or hostile entities. There are also attention-seekers and lunatics who, at a time like this, cannot wait to unleash terror in a city or a region.”

European officials have raised concerns that hoax threats may be part of a campaign of “hybrid” disruptions aimed at countries helping Ukraine, which many have blamed on Russia, though Moscow denies involvement and accuses the West of a smear campaign. Iran has also faced scrutiny; France summoned Iran’s ambassador after accusing Tehran of a cyberattack that disabled refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets, an accusation Iran’s foreign ministry rejected as “baseless and hostile.”

Police forces, including the PSNI and Rome police spokespersons, confirmed that urgent inquiries and investigations are underway.