Follow-Up: 1,803 More Italian Schools Receive Bomb-Threat Emails as Most Stay Open Under New Guidance
A further 1,803 schools across Italy received hoax bomb-threat emails on Thursday, November 12, again signed “Mikhail Andropov” and again including a threat against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni herself. Some schools evacuated, but hundreds chose to ignore the warnings or reopened quickly, following new guidance the government issued after Wednesday's first wave. Meloni summoned opposition leaders to her office the same day and announced plans for a common protocol aimed at limiting the impact of such incidents.
Under the guidance, public buildings should be cleared only if there is concrete evidence of danger. “Buildings should not be evacuated in the absence of concrete elements beyond the mere receipt of a mass email that would suggest a genuine danger exists,” the prime minister's office said. On Wednesday, 6,300 schools were affected, closures spread and panic grew among parents; by Thursday the number of schools receiving threats had fallen to 1,803 and the response had shifted markedly toward staying open.
Meloni's meeting with opposition leaders lasted about two hours. The opposition said it was up to the government to bring forward proposals, while criticising what they described as inadequate investment in cybersecurity. Former prime minister Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, said Wednesday's alarm “could have been dealt with using a good antivirus programme.” Elly Schlein, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, proposed shifting part of the available resources towards cyber defences, and Nicola Fratoianni of the Green-Left Alliance noted that authorities in Ireland had warned schools in advance that the emails were not a threat and told them to remain open.
Some European officials suspect Russia may be behind a campaign to disrupt everyday life in countries supporting Ukraine. Italian officials have so far said there is no evidence of that; Russia denies involvement and accuses the West of a smear campaign. Russia's ambassador to Italy said on Thursday that the Russian authorities were ready to help their Italian counterparts track down whoever was behind the threats. Many schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also received similar threatening emails from abroad; all three classified them as hoaxes and classes continued. In recent weeks, supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic systems and broadcasters across Europe have also been targeted by hoaxes and cyberattacks.
Related: Follow-up: Some 6,300 Italian schools receive bomb-threat emails; more than 300 evacuate
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：意大利罗马的 Giulio Cesare 高中（资料图）。照片：Blackcat（Sergio D'Afflitto），CC BY-SA，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Liceo Classico Giulio Cesare, a high school in Rome, Italy (file photo). Photo by Blackcat (Sergio D'Afflitto), CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons.
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