Hundreds of Italian schools evacuated over bomb hoaxes

Schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday, November 11, after a flood of emailed bomb threats. It was the latest in a string of incidents that have targeted flights, newsrooms and supermarket refrigerators. They have raised fears that Europe faces a coordinated campaign of hybrid warfare. Suspicion has largely fallen on Russia, but no government has publicly blamed anyone for the bomb hoaxes. The only formal attribution so far points to Iran, not Moscow.

Schools, flights and newsrooms

Italy's Ansa news agency, citing the education ministry, said about 6,000 schools received the threats. At least 300 were evacuated. The emails were signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan." That is the same purported sender who claimed responsibility for threats emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria on November 6. Schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland received similar messages, which police treated as hoaxes. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was no "concrete danger" and called the threats part of "a strategy aimed at causing alarm".dw.com+3

The school threats followed hoaxes that disrupted dozens of flights. Some planes made unplanned landings, and fighter jets escorted or intercepted others. Airports in Rome, Copenhagen, Prague, Warsaw and Lisbon were among those targeted. Ireland's broadcaster RTÉ evacuated its offices and suspended programming. The Financial Times reported that European intelligence services suspect pro-Kremlin activists or hacking groups.atlanticcouncil.org+2

Hacked supermarket fridges

On November 2, hackers raised temperatures in fridges and freezers at dozens of stores. Ahold Delhaize Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. and Colruyt were hit in Belgium and Luxembourg, along with Swedish grocers ICA and Coop. Retailers in at least nine countries reported problems, and the EU warned of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain.cnbc.com+1

On November 9, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot blamed an earlier wave of attacks on Iran's Revolutionary Guards. That wave hit 700 French sites on October 11 and 12. French investigators named the cyber unit Shahid Kaveh. Barrot's finding covered only the French incidents, and the Kremlin has denied involvement in the fridge hacks.politico.eu

Attribution remains elusive

Investigators have found no link between the supermarket hacks and the airline threats. As of November 5, no hard evidence tied the airline hoaxes to Russia, Iran or their proxies. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the school threats could not be definitively pinned on a foreign government. He noted they might be the work of an individual or a criminal.foreignpolicy.com+2

EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen summed up the uncertainty. "It is not always Russia who is behind different hybrid operations," she said, before adding: "Quite often it is Russia".independent.co.uk