Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, UK and Ireland in latest disruption

Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many of their schools received a similar email threat from abroad but it was classed as a hoax and did not disrupt classes.

In Italy, schools closed swiftly after the warnings, prompting many parents to drop what they were doing to collect children.

"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 the Mazzini middle school in Rome.

"This is so annoying. It's obvious it's just a hoax that disrupts lessons and disrupts everyone's day."

A copy of the message seen by Reuters also included a threat to target Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She said the bomb alerts posed no danger and that police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation.

"All students have been taken to a safe area and remain under the supervision of teaching staff," one school in Rome informed parents through a messaging app.

The email received in Italy was signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters.

"The (school) emails are public. (Sending the bomb alert messages) was ‌as ⁠easy as drinking a glass of water," a national security source told Reuters.

The same purported author claimed responsibility for email bomb threats sent on Friday to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria.