Receiving fake emails threatening to bomb about 1,800 schools in Italy.
On Thursday, November 12, the Italian government announced that 1,803 schools in the country had been targeted by emails containing bomb threats. The government ordered local authorities and school principals not to close classes unless there are valid and specific reasons to fear danger.
However, Italian media reported that several schools in the country were evacuated for the second day in a row after receiving fake bomb emails.
On Wednesday, hundreds of schools across Italy were evacuated after receiving threatening emails. The incident that led to the creation of an atmosphere of panic and confusion.
According to local media, Wednesday's email was sent from an account attributed to Taiwan to thousands of schools, almost the entire Italian public school chain. Thursday's new threats also appear to have been sent from an account in the Philippines.
Italian authorities announced on Wednesday that the threats, apparently signed under the name "Mikhail Andropov" and from an account called "Misogynistan", were fake.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney, after a meeting with intelligence and security officials, said that the purpose of sending these messages was to "create fear" and that police investigations found no signs of danger in any of the schools.
The Italian government said in a statement on Thursday that there was no need to evacuate buildings in the absence of objective evidence of real danger, beyond the receipt of a widespread threatening email.
Concerns are growing in Italy and other European countries that a series of fake in-flight bomb threats and cyber attacks on grocery store refrigeration systems may be linked to a hybrid warfare campaign.