Bomb alarms in over 300 schools in Italy, evacuations and checks. Meloni: 'Great attention, but there are no concrete dangers'

Key Points THE POINT 15:34 Tajani: 'We received new cyberattacks, they are also targeting minors in my family' 15:24 Meloni invites opposition leaders to Palazzo Chigi 15:25 Meeting with Meloni, Crosetto, and Giorgetti at Palazzo Chigi 15:16 Ministry: email with bomb alert reached about six thousand schools 14:18 Three administrators in Potenza: 'Stay in class, the police told us' 13:35 Investigations begin, file opened in Genoa 13:30 Mayor of Venezia: 'By my decision, classes resume' 13:25 Occupied high school evacuated, but students: 'We are not leaving' 12:49 40 reports to the Carabinieri in Turin 12:48 Piantedosi: 'It is premature to speak of a common mastermind' 12:41 Meloni: 'Great attention but no dangers emerging'. Meeting at 4 PM 12:35 False bomb alert in 300 schools in Northern Ireland, some evacuated 12:34 The situation in Abruzzo, Marche, and Umbria 12:33 Alert also in an elementary school in Lipari 12:31 Government sources: 'No concrete danger, just a strategy to generate alarm' 12:26 In Bologna, in several cases, students returned to class, conference of principals interrupted 12:19 Crosetto: 'Strategy of terror but also narcissists' 12:10 Valditara: 'So far 300 bomb alerts across Italy, risk nonexistent' 12:05 In Puglia, students returned to class after bomb disposal checks 11:55 Over 50 schools involved in Lazio 11:49 In Fvg, bomb alert in about twenty schools, evacuations also in Veneto 11:43 Numerous bomb alerts in schools in Naples and province 11:40 Milanese institutes evacuated, managed as an evacuation drill 11:39 'We will annihilate you', the email sent to over one hundred schools 11:03 Bomb alert in dozens of schools in Italy from anonymous email THE POINT Bomb alert in at least six thousand Italian schools. The alert was triggered by an anonymous email sent to educational institutions in various cities. Students and staff at the affected schools were evacuated. 'We came to annihilate you. We will carry out a genocide against the Italians,' is written in the message signed 'Mikhail Antropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan.' The email mentions a 'powerful device' left inside a plastic bag 'with remote trigger.' Clearance by law enforcement. Prime Minister Meloni assures that the issue is being followed 'with great attention' by the government, 'but no concrete dangers are emerging.' A meeting at Palazzo Chigi at 4 PM to assess the situation with the heads of intelligence and the National Cybersecurity Agency. False bomb alerts in various schools also in Northern Ireland and Scotland. 15:34 Tajani: 'We received new cyberattacks, they are also targeting minors in my family' "I myself have been a victim of cyberattacks, even setting a target on me. Today I received further intimidation, which has not spared any member of my family, including minors; the same target has been placed on them as well." Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Question Time at the Chamber. 15:24 Meloni invites opposition leaders to Palazzo Chigi The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, invited the leaders of the opposition forces to Palazzo Chigi tomorrow morning at 9 AM. Palazzo Chigi sources announced this, explaining that "the meeting will be an opportunity to share available information and assess the complex picture of the alerts and reports registered in recent days, also in relation to hacker-related activities, including reports of alleged devices in educational institutions." "The government's objective - the same sources pointed out - is to guarantee maximum information and promote institutional dialogue on an issue concerning national security and the serenity of citizens." 15:25 Meeting with Meloni, Crosetto, and Giorgetti at Palazzo Chigi Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has just arrived at Palazzo Chigi, where, as learned, he is participating in a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti. Video Piantedosi, it is premature to speak of a common mastermind for bomb alerts 15:16 Ministry, email with bomb alert reached about six thousand schools The email containing the bomb alert reached about 6,000 Italian educational institutions. This is learned from the Ministry of Education. Not all schools that received the email were evacuated. Video Rome, bomb alert in various schools after an anonymous email 14:18 Three administrators in Potenza: 'Stay in class, the police told us' "In recent days, the Postal Police had alerted us to the risk of receiving threatening emails, which could represent a 'false alarm,' so both we and other colleagues decided to wait on the instruction of law enforcement, after promptly alerting them once the email was received, and we did not let the children out." Daniela Novelli, director of the 'Domenico Savio' Institute, explained the reasons that led her not to evacuate the school after receiving the email. "We immediately called the Police Headquarters - she reiterated - where clear instructions were given to avoid spreading panic and to wait. It is evident that our switchboard was flooded with calls from many parents who wanted to be reassured, but in several, they preferred to come pick up their children." 13:35 Investigations begin, file opened in Genoa The Genoa Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the bomb alerts that affected dozens of schools in the city and province this morning. The crimes hypothesized by Prosecutor Nicola Piacente, who coordinates the Dda and the cybercrime group of the Genoa prosecution, include causing alarm, interruption of public service, and serious threats, crimes that could be aggravated by terrorist intent. The investigations will be delegated to the postal police and the digos. 13:30 Mayor of Venezia: 'By my decision, classes resume' "By my decision, after the brief verification carried out by law enforcement, the schools continue their normal activity." Giovanni Battista Mestriner, the mayor of Scorzè (Venezia), wrote on his Facebook profile, in a message to the parents of the town's students. "Following a 'bomb alert' - Mestriner specified - sent generically to many schools in Veneto, law enforcement intervened for an initial check. The schools of Scorzè of all levels continue lessons." The mayor specified that "we went through the classrooms one by one." 13:25 Occupied high school evacuated, but students: 'We are not leaving' Disbelief, a touch of satisfaction for a day of school missed, but also some fear. This is the climate felt in front of the educational institutions in Bologna evacuated this morning after the bomb alert triggered by a series of anonymous threatening emails received in various schools in the city, as well as the rest of Italy. Students gathered on the sidewalks, teachers outside the buildings, and parents seeking information through class chats, while law enforcement is busy with checks to verify the credibility of the reports. At the Minghetti high school, where student occupation is ongoing, the students left the building but remained in front of the entrance to guard the school. "The occupation will continue," assured a representative of the Osa collective, explaining that the students fear the evacuation could be an opportunity to interrupt the protest. "If the school is cleared, they might clear us out," he told his classmates, who responded in unison: "We need more classrooms, not more bombs." "I don't think this was done from above to clear the occupation, but it could be used as an excuse, since many students in occupied schools leave and then might disperse," added the student representative. For this reason, the students decided to remain in front of the building, waiting to understand when they could return. 12:49 40 reports to the Carabinieri in Turin There are about forty reports of bomb alerts in Turin, collected this morning by the city Carabinieri. Some administrators, as learned, decided to evacuate the buildings, totaling about ten. The military is conducting checks case by case. On the chats informing parents, messages are arriving regarding the evacuation of minor students, inviting relatives to come to the site to bring them home. In the rest of Piedmont, at least four schools in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola received an email containing a bomb alert that required the evacuation of students, teachers, and staff. These include the Ferrini Institute in Verbania, the Spezia High School, and the Marconi-Einaudi-Galletti Institute in Domodossola, and the Beltrami School in Omegna. Inspections are underway. Bomb alerts are also occurring in Cuneese educational institutions. The picture is constantly being updated, and there is no complete list of reports yet, according to the Carabinieri. In Mondovì, the Municipality agreed with the administrators of the three city higher education institutes ("Cigna-Baruffi-Garelli," "Giolitti-Bellisario," and "Vasco-Beccaria-Govone"), the local police command, and the Carabinieri, to carry out the preventive evacuation of students, teachers, and staff to allow for clearance operations. Similar alerts, currently being verified, were reported in Cuneo, Bra, Ceva, Alba, Savigliano, Racconigi, and Saluzzo in schools of various levels. 12:48 Piantedosi: 'It is premature to speak of a common mastermind' "Any statement in the immediate aftermath risks being inopportune and inappropriate. It is premature to speak of a common mastermind," stated Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in Orvieto regarding the bomb alerts. "The investigators working on this must speak about the hypothesis of a common mastermind," he added. For Piantedosi, "there is a trail of events that, at the very least, in the form of emulation, has the common trait of trying to engage the public system through alerts that, fortunately, often turn out to be unfounded." 12:41 Meloni: 'Great attention but no dangers emerging'. Meeting at 4 PM "The Government is following the numerous reports regarding bomb alerts in educational institutions with great attention. Law Enforcement and Institutions, at every level, are working to monitor the situation and reassure citizens, families, and school staff. At the moment, from the checks carried out, no element emerges that suggests a concrete danger exists. The reports seem rather attributable to a strategy aimed at generating alarm and concern, on which all necessary in-depth investigations are underway." Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated on social media. Meloni convened a meeting at 4 PM at Palazzo Chigi to assess the situation and coordinate necessary initiatives. Attendees will include Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, Ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Guido Crosetto, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council Alfredo Mantovano, the heads of intelligence, and the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN). 12:35 False bomb alert in 300 schools in Northern Ireland, some evacuated 12:34 The situation in Abruzzo, Marche, and Umbria Bomb alerts also in schools in Abruzzo, from Pescara to Teramano. In Pescara, the emergency began first in the high schools, particularly at the 'D'Annunzio' classical school and the two scientific schools 'Da Vinci' and 'Galilei,' and then in other institutes, up to the primary and lower secondary schools. A similar situation also occurred in Teramano. There are cases, especially in inland areas, of school administrators who, after due checks, decided not to evacuate the institutions and to continue educational activities. State Police, along with bomb disposal experts, Carabinieri, and local police, are involved. In the Marche region, the Savoia High School in Ancona and the Iis Morea Vivarelli and Comprensivo Aldo Moro in Fabriano were evacuated. In San Benedetto del Tronto, evacuations and checks took place in institutions including the Leopardi High School, the Ipsia, and the "Sacconi" and "Cappella" middle schools; the checks reportedly yielded negative results, and in one of the institutions, students were allowed to return. In Montalto delle Marche, the Omnicompressivo Rotella-Montalto was evacuated. In Fano, students were cautiously led out of the Torelli scientific high school and Polo 3, while in Pesaro, the school campus was evacuated. "We want to reassure families, female students, male students, and all school staff. The checks carried out so far in Umbrian schools have yielded negative results, and law enforcement is operating promptly and carefully to verify every report," announced the President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti, and the Education Councilor, Fabio Barcaioli. "The phenomenon is also affecting Umbria, where checks and controls by law enforcement are underway," they explained. They added that "at the moment there are several schools involved in Umbria, and the data is being updated." 12:33 Alert also in an elementary school in Lipari The bomb alert received via email in educational institutions across Italy also reached the elementary school - San Domenico Savio Comprehensive Institute in Via Stradale in Lipari in the Aeolian Islands. The institute was evacuated. In the rest of Sicily, the alert reached the Salvo D'Acquisto State Upper Institute in Bagheria and several institutes in Catania and Syracuse, but the emails arrived in schools in various cities. The institutes were immediately evacuated. From Cagliari to Sassari, in Sardinia, students and staff at the affected schools were evacuated as a precaution, although rumors quickly spread that it was an alert received across all of Italy and not a specific case. In some institutes, upon receiving assurances from law enforcement, their respective school administrators did not evacuate their school. 12:31 Government sources: 'No concrete danger, just a strategy to generate alarm' At the moment, from the checks carried out, no element emerges that suggests a concrete danger exists. This is reported by government sources, also to reassure families, teachers, school staff, and educational institutions after the evacuations of institutions across Italy. The reports, the same sources explain, seem rather attributable to a strategy aimed at generating alarm and concern, on which all necessary in-depth investigations are underway. 12:26 In Bologna, in several cases, students returned to class, conference of principals interrupted With bomb alerts triggered in several schools in Bologna and the province, precautionary evacuations were carried out in some institutions, while in others, students remained in the classrooms or had already returned to class after checks. Students were reassured by school staff. The alert subsided in the institutions where checks were completed, while investigations continue in other involved schools. Among the affected institutions are the two Minghetti locations, the Testoni Fioravanti, Fortuzzi, Carducci, Rolandino, Guercino, Guido Reni, Dozza, and the Serpieri institutes, among others. The Police Headquarters received reports from some in Bologna and one from Imola, triggering investigations. The Carabinieri were also busy with precautionary checks. The news of the emails with threats and bomb alerts, sent to schools across Italy, was received simultaneously by the school administrators of the entire region who were gathered at the Mast in Via Speranza for the Regional Services Conference, scheduled for this morning. The work was supposed to end at 1:30 PM but was definitively concluded early, at 12:30 PM. At least five upper secondary institutes and one primary school are being evacuated in Modena, plus two other upper secondary institutes in Vignola and Sassuolo, after receiving an email message talking about a device in a plastic bag with a remote trigger. In one case, the students were already allowed to return. Local police are guarding the involved institutions to ensure traffic flow. The alert for dozens of schools was triggered across Italy. 12:19 Crosetto: 'Strategy of terror but also narcissists' "It is part of a strategy that is now clear: that of sowing terror or creating concerns, which is too easy. Any one of us could, with the means and tools available, send an email to a school, a nursery, or an airline saying there is a bomb." Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said regarding the bomb alerts in several schools in Rome received in the last minutes on the margin of the Sole 24 Ore event: 'The Changing Country,' warning that "we will see more and more, because unfortunately the mother of idiots is always pregnant." 12:10 Valditara: 'So far 300 bomb alerts across Italy, risk nonexistent' About 300 schools across Italy received emails with bomb alerts, but the number "is destined to increase; the number of three hundred was about half an hour ago," said Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, speaking on Aria che Tira su La7. "They attacked flights, supermarkets, if I recall, even hospitals. It is evident that there is a strategy. Who is behind it is difficult to imagine at this moment. Services are obviously active to identify them. The judiciary will conduct its investigations, but it is evident that we must protect ourselves, and investments in security are fundamental." "No to alarmism because it is evident from the content of the email that the concrete risk is almost nonexistent; it is a cyberattack, not a real risk, with all probability, but the strategy must be thought out involving the Services," Valditara added. "We will have a meeting with the other ministers, decide on a strategy, and then stick to it - he added - But I want to reassure: the high number of schools involved demonstrates the low credibility." 12:05 In Puglia, students returned to class after bomb disposal checks Numerous schools in Puglia were affected by the false bomb alert received with an email signed by 'Mikhail Andropov.' In the provinces of Bari and Bat - as learned so far - some educational institutions were evacuated, such as the Don Bosco Manzoni Comprehensive Institute and the Ites Carafa of Andria, while in others, it was preferred to continue with lessons, considering the alert a fake. The same script in Salento, where students and teachers were led out of the classrooms and reached the external areas of the Itc Olivetti and the Banzi Scientific High School. After the bomb disposal experts' inspection, the students returned to class. The Pepe-Calamo Scientific High School in Ostuni (Brindisi) was also temporarily evacuated. In Calabria, there are multiple reports from Cosentino, with evacuations in Scalea and Montalto, but also from Reggio Calabria, where evacuations of the Tommaso Campanella Classical High School and the Leonardo da Vinci Scientific High School are reported. Students were on the street in Catanzaro, in Piazza Matteotti, in front of the Itts Ercolino Scalfaro, and in progress Mazzini outside the Galluppi Dormitory. 11:55 Over 50 schools involved in Lazio Bomb alerts also in dozens of schools in Rome. Students were led out into the gardens or external areas of the institutions; in some cases, school administrators decided to send them home. "Since this morning, more than 50 schools in the entire Lazio region, a number rapidly increasing in these minutes, have been evacuated following a bomb alert received by the educational institutions in their email inbox. A situation that has created tension among the school communities of our region. The Government is intervening to guarantee safety in the schools of our country," said Simone Montori, regional coordinator of the Lazio Students' Network. "It is inconceivable how a simple email can sow panic across the entire peninsula," he added. Hundreds of students from various educational institutions in the province of Rieti were evacuated this morning. The affected schools are both primary and secondary. In Viterbo, there was an alert in seven schools. 11:49 In Fvg, bomb alert in about twenty schools, evacuations also in Veneto In total, there are about twenty institutions where bomb alerts were spread. Up to this point, these include 14 schools in Trieste (which were evacuated), two in Gorizia, two in Monfalcone, and three in Udine; in Pordenone, the same threatening emails reached all educational institutions. Numerous institutions in the Metropolitan City of Venice were evacuated this morning. As in other instances, security measures were triggered, with the removal of teachers and students. The alert particularly affected the Giordano Bruno Scientific High School in Mestre, and other schools, both upper secondary and municipal comprehensive institutes. 11:43 Numerous bomb alerts in schools in Naples and province There are numerous bomb alerts that led to the evacuation of schools between Naples and the province, according to the initial news held by the Carabinieri. Among the affected institutions are "many," several in the city, between the center, Monte di Dio, and Vomero, and then in the province, in Torre Annunziata and Castello di Cisterna. After the alert, evacuation begins to allow for the necessary checks. 11:40 Milanese institutes evacuated, managed as an evacuation drill In the Milan area, evacuations of educational institutions are also underway following a bomb alert received via email. Checks are ongoing across the country, where similar situations have been reported. In the Milan area, patrols are intervening to support the evacuation operations. The Bresciano area is also affected by the new bomb alert in schools. There are several institutions where evacuation was triggered after an email announced the presence of a device. However, some principals chose not to send the students out after learning that the email had reached schools across Italy. 11:39 'We will annihilate you', the email sent to over one hundred schools A single email sent to educational institutions across Italy triggered the evacuations of dozens of institutions of various levels in the cities. At the moment, there are over one hundred schools that raised the alarm, but the number is increasing. "We came to annihilate you. We will carry out a genocide against the Italians," was written in the message signed Mikhail Antropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan. The email mentions a "powerful device" left in the building inside a plastic bag "with remote trigger." 11:03 Bomb alert in dozens of schools in Italy from anonymous email Bomb alert in dozens of Italian schools. The alert was triggered by an anonymous email sent to educational institutions in various cities. Students and staff at the affected schools were evacuated, and law enforcement clearance operations are underway. A similar episode occurred in recent days with an email message sent to 280 principals.