Carmen Constantin

A new wave of bomb threats has been sent to schools across Italy, triggering evacuations, security checks and widespread disruption. The emails have reached educational institutions in several regions, including Veneto, Liguria, Umbria, Lazio, Molise, Campania and Sicily. The messages are once again signed by an individual using the name "Mikhail Andropov", the same signature seen in previous waves of threats. The latest emails claim that explosive devices have been planted inside school buildings and threaten mass casualties. One message received by a school in Palermo warned: “Attention. I inform you that today, November 12, the building has been mined and at this very moment your lives are in danger.” The sender then claimed that the alleged explosive device had been carefully prepared and concealed to prevent detection by sniffer dogs. The email also threatened that an explosion would take place at a school, claiming that people would be killed. The message went on to demand the immediate resignation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, threatening that hundreds of people would become victims if the demands were ignored. The Umberto Classical High School in Palermo was among the institutions affected. The school received an email threatening a massacre of students and staff at exactly 10:50 a.m. The administration decided to evacuate the building and send students home as a precaution, despite believing the threat was likely another hoax. Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian government in Rome, also received a bomb threat accompanied by the demand for Meloni's resignation. However, the government dismissed it as a fake threat, explaining that there were no specific indications of a concrete danger and that no additional security checks had been activated. This is the latest episode in a growing wave of bomb-threat emails targeting educational institutions and public buildings in Italy. Yesterday, according to reports, more than 7,000 schools were affected by similar threats, forcing authorities and school administrations to carry out checks and, in some cases, evacuations. The repeated incidents are creating significant disruption across the country, keeping police, emergency services and school staff occupied while thousands of students and families are affected. Whether these operations are being carried out by individuals seeking disruption, organised groups or state-linked actors remains unclear. The immediate effect, however, is the same: fear, disruption and growing pressure on public authorities.