SCHOOL’S OUT

Schools Evacuated as Thousands Hit in Staggering Bomb Threat Blitz

Countries across Europe are being targeted with a series of threats and cyberattacks.

#5

Schools in Europe were sent into a panic after bomb threats were made against thousands of them across the continent. Around 6,300 in Italy were evacuated after receiving bomb threats on Wednesday morning. “My daughter Dafne started crying because the kids did not understand what was happening, and she was still shaken when I picked her up,” said Nensi Bego, parent of a child at a school in Rome. Schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also received a similar threat. However, the schools in the U.K. and Ireland deemed the threats to be a hoax, and no classes were disrupted. A previous hoax targeting hundreds of Scottish schools occurred in October. The latest round of bomb threats to schools appears to have been a coordinated attack, with countries in Europe already being targeted by cyberattacks targeting banks, supermarkets, and air traffic. Italian ‌Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Wednesday’s school threats were part of a strategy “to spread fear and ​create anxiety.” Some European officials suspect Russia or Iran is behind the disruption, but both Moscow and Tehran deny responsibility.