Hundreds of schools across Europe were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats, police forces say, in what appeared to be the latest wave of efforts to intimidate populations.
Italy’s education minister Giuseppe Valditara told Italian TV that the emailed threats were presumed to be hoaxes, and that the number of schools affected was expected to rise.
Threats, received just before 10 a.m. local time by more than 300 schools, were signed “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan,” according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters. The same purported sender also claimed responsibility for bomb threats emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria on Friday, according to Reuters.
Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were also evacuated on Wednesday morning after receiving similar threats.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said they were treated as a hoax, while Police Scotland similarly said there was nothing to suggest the threats posed any credible risk to the public.
“Based on enquiries and information to date, police are treating this email, which originated from outside the UK, as a hoax,” Police Scotland said in a statement.
It comes as concerns grow in Europe about so-called hybrid threats and the continent’s ability to withstand such threats.
Hybrid warfare combines tactics such as cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation to destabilize adversaries without triggering open military conflict.
A flurry of events disrupted supermarkets, blood banks and passenger flights last week.
Bomb threats repeatedly affected flights across Europe in what officials and airlines described as “hoax bomb threats” or “false attacks.”
It remains unclear who might be behind the latest hybrid attacks, and whether they could be state-backed.
France on Tuesday said a wave of cyberattacks targeting supermarket fridges was carried out by Shahid Kaveh, a cyber unit it said was affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran denied involvement, calling accusations “baseless and malicious.”
Incidents come against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions and domestic unrest across parts of Europe, and experts told CNBC that civilian infrastructure could become an increasingly attractive target for hostile actors.