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Ismail Hossain Shapon, Italy: More than 300 educational institutions across Italy received bomb threats by email, triggering panic and forcing the evacuation of thousands of students.
The threatening messages, sent on Wednesday morning, also reportedly included threats of violent attacks against the Italian prime minister and members of the public.
The incidents caused alarm across the country, including among Bangladeshi families living in Italy, many of whose children attend local schools.
However, security forces found no explosives during extensive searches of the affected institutions.
According to local media reports and administrative sources, classes had been continuing as usual on Wednesday morning when threatening emails began arriving at the official email addresses of more than 300 schools.
The schools were located in Rome and other major cities, including Milan, Florence and Bologna.
The senders, claiming to represent a self-proclaimed extremist group, said powerful plastic explosives fitted with remote-control devices had been placed at the schools. The same messages also contained threats against the Italian prime minister and the general public.
A teacher at one of the affected schools said staff members were alerted after the threatening message was discovered in the school’s official email inbox.
“After an administrative colleague saw the message, we were immediately alerted. At around the same time, the Carabinieri also contacted us and informed us that schools across Rome were considered to be at potential risk. We were then instructed to evacuate the school immediately,” the teacher said.
Following the threats, classes were suspended at affected institutions, while police and bomb disposal units were deployed to carry out security checks.
After hours of searches, authorities found no explosives or suspicious devices at any of the schools.
Italy’s Ministry of Defence reportedly described the incident as a possible “hybrid cyber attack” aimed at creating confusion and spreading fear among the public.
The incident caused particular concern among the Bangladeshi community in Italy. A large number of Bangladeshi families live in major Italian cities, and many of their children attend local schools.
The simultaneous threats against hundreds of educational institutions left many expatriate parents worried about the safety of their children.
Investigators said they had found similarities between the name and pattern used in the emails and a series of false bomb threats sent to aircraft in several European countries last week.
Italian police have launched an investigation to identify the source of the emails and those responsible for the apparent cyber campaign.
Local authorities have urged all residents, including members of the Bangladeshi community, to remain alert and avoid spreading or acting on unverified rumours.
Although no explosives were found, the coordinated threats against hundreds of schools have heightened concerns among students, parents and communities across Italy.
