Hoax bomb threats evacuate hundreds of schools in Italy and Britain

More than 300 schools across Italy received emailed bomb threats shortly before 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday and were evacuated, and schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were also cleared after similar threats the same morning. Education minister Giuseppe Valditara told Italian television the threats were presumed to be hoaxes and that the number of schools affected was expected to rise, while Police Scotland said the email, which originated from outside the UK, was being treated as a hoax with nothing to suggest a credible risk to the public.

According to a copy of the message seen by Reuters, the emails were signed in the name of a purported group leader who also claimed responsibility for bomb threats emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria last Friday. No explosive device was reported found, and it remains unclear who is behind the threats or whether they are state backed.