Lucrezia Ciotti A new wave of bomb threats has emerged in Italian schools , following thousands of threatening emails that have led to evacuations and class disruptions. The government has implemented a new protocol to manage reports, while investigations continue to identify those responsible. At Palazzo Chigi, Giorgia Meloni and opposition leaders met, with differing positions on the measures to be taken and the need to strengthen cybersecurity.
Bomb scare in schools, the government introduces a new protocol: evacuations only in the presence of concrete risks.
The emergency surrounding email bomb threats sent to Italian schools continues to keep institutions on high alert. Following the chaos caused by over 6 alerts registered yesterday , November 11, the government summoned intelligence and cybersecurity leaders, along with opposition representatives, to Palazzo Chigi to assess the situation and coordinate interventions.
According to provisional data released by the Prime Minister's Office, 3.778 schools received threatening messages today , but only 77 ordered evacuations. Classes resumed in 36 schools this morning.
The government has therefore introduced new operational guidelines: school buildings must not be evacuated based solely on the receipt of mass emails, but only if there is concrete evidence suggesting a real danger.
This decision aims to avoid further disruptions to teaching activities, without compromising the safety of students, teachers, and school staff.
Government protocol and prosecutor's investigation: what we know about the alarms
The new policy was defined during the technical meeting of the Interministerial Committee for the Security of the Republic (CISR), attended by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and Ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Giuseppe Valditara. The goal, as explained by Palazzo Chigi, is to prevent unfounded reports from paralyzing essential services and creating disruption for the entire community. The Ministry of Education has already sent a communication to all school principals, clarifying that evacuations should not be carried out when the only available evidence is a mass email notification. Prefects, however, retain the power to order the removal of people from buildings when specific and verifiable circumstances arise. The Ministry of the Interior will also provide further operational guidance to Prefectures to ensure the smooth running of public activities.
Meanwhile, on the investigative front, anti-terrorism magistrates at the Rome Prosecutor's Office have opened a file on the incidents recorded on Wednesday and Thursday in the capital. The proceedings, coordinated by Chief Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi, allege the crimes of causing alarm and aggravated threats.
Interior Minister Piantedosi, in an interview with Il Giornale , urged people not to underestimate the phenomenon, but also to avoid disproportionate reactions: " No underestimation, but no unnecessary alarmism either ." According to the Interior Minister, this could be a new form of pressure on institutions, in which widespread dissemination of reports becomes a tool to tie up public resources and fuel insecurity. The minister, however, clarified that it would be premature to speak of a single mastermind, leaving investigators the task of reconstructing any connections with other incidents, including those involving air travel and the dissemination of personal data in recent weeks.
Meloni meets with the opposition, Schlein and Conte's requests. Salvini rules out the Russian possibility.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with opposition leaders at Palazzo Chigi, sharing available information and outlining the initiatives the government intends to pursue. At the end of the meeting, the prime minister described it as a " frank and productive discussion ," reiterating the need to maintain high levels of attention on what is happening. Later, speaking to journalists in Dublin, where she is attending the European Political Community summit, she added: " We shared the information we had and presented how the government intends to proceed and work ." Meloni also acknowledged the vigilance role of minority political forces, calling the meeting a " good sign ." The prime minister had previously described the incidents as part of " a strategy aimed at sowing chaos ," while ruling out, based on available evidence, any concrete dangers to the institutions.
Opposition representatives made several requests. Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein deemed the discussions positive, but asked that the dialogue continue within parliament and at COPASIR, ruling out any blank checks for the executive branch. " Today we have not received specific proposals ," she observed, urging a reversal of the cybersecurity cuts and proposing to allocate a portion of the resources earmarked for weapons systems to this sector. Five Star Movement President Giuseppe Conte , though with a different tone, agreed, and assured his willingness to cooperate: " There must be maximum collaboration on these issues; there is no distinction between majority and opposition ." The former Prime Minister, however, emphasized that it is up to the government to advance concrete proposals, while the opposition is responsible for evaluating their effectiveness. " Yesterday the country was brought to a standstill by email. We cannot afford that ," he declared, calling for a distinction between cyber attacks and simple reports and for swift intervention with appropriate protocols.
More critical was the commentary of Deputy Prime Minister and League leader Matteo Salvini , who challenged the decisions of some schools to suspend classes. Speaking on RTL 102.5 , he called the situation " chaos caused by this unlikely Mikhail Andropov ," referring to the name that appeared in the threatening messages. Salvini acknowledged that some school administrators may have correctly interpreted the unreliability of the reports, while he deemed the evacuations ordered by others understandable. However, he added: " As a parent, it's much less understandable that schools are closed today; this is absolutely unthinkable ." The Deputy Prime Minister also urged caution regarding allegations of Russian involvement: " There is no evidence whatsoever ," he stated, noting that the investigations are being carried out by intelligence agencies and the Postal Police. Before identifying any perpetrators, according to Salvini, it is necessary to await the results of the investigation and avoid making unfounded accusations.