World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
Bomb threats prompt evacuations at schools across Italy for second day
About 1,800 schools across Italy received bomb threats for a second day, from Milan in the north to Sicily in the south.
The threats prompted fresh evacuations and alarm, although no devices have been found.
The latest message was similar to one sent on Wednesday to 6,300 of Italy’s 7,476 state schools.
Italy’s government has advised schools not to evacuate without concrete evidence beyond receiving a mass email.
The origin of the latest message is unclear; it is said to have come from a teacher’s account in the Philippines that may have been hacked.
The threats follow hoaxes targeting European airports and airlines, and officials have not confirmed whether the incidents are connected.
Italy said 1,803 schools received bomb-threat emails on Thursday, prompting fresh closures and evacuations for a second day.
The alerts followed similar emails sent to about 6,300 schools on Wednesday.
Police in Rome said there was nothing to substantiate the threats.
The government said it would introduce guidance against evacuating buildings solely because of mass emails.
Opposition leaders called for stronger cybersecurity measures and criticized the government’s spending priorities.
- Who
- Schools across Italy received the threats. The government, police and opposition leaders responded.
- What
- Bomb-threat emails led some schools to close or evacuate for a second day.
- When
- Thursday, November 12, 2026, following similar alerts on Wednesday.
- Where
- Across Italy, from Milan in the north to Sicily in the south.
- Why
- The threats’ motive is not stated. Police said there was nothing to substantiate them.
The Italian government
Opposition leaders
Evacuations
The Italian government
Buildings should not be evacuated solely because of a mass email without concrete evidence of danger.
Opposition leaders
The government should address the threats and improve cybersecurity; opposition leaders criticized what they described as inadequate investment in cyber defenses.
Spending priorities
The Italian government
Not stated.
Opposition leaders
The government is prioritizing conventional military equipment over what opposition parties consider pressing cyber threats.
About 6,300 Italian schools received bomb-threat emails, and schools across the country were emptied.
Italy said 1,803 schools had received further threat emails, and some schools closed or evacuated again.
- Schools targeted Thursday
- 1,803, according to the Italian government
- Schools targeted Wednesday
- About 6,300
- Total Italian state schools
- 7,476
- Geographic spread
- Milan in the north to Sicily in the south
- Police assessment in Rome
- There was nothing to substantiate the threats
3 sources
What people are saying
Buildings should not be evacuated in the absence of concrete elements beyond the mere receipt of a mass email that would suggest a genuine danger exists.
We need stronger coordination among the bodies responsible for cybersecurity, and we have proposed shifting part of the available resources towards cyberdefences
How has the money been spent so far? Yesterday’s alarm could have been dealt with using a good antivirus program.
a strategy intended to cause alarm and concern