By Stefano Pozzebon, Arina Porkhovnik, Kara Fox, CNN
(CNN) — Hundreds of schools were evacuated in Italy on Wednesday after bomb threats were sent via email, police told CNN, becoming the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks targeting infrastructure across Europe.
Schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also received emails Wednesday, although police warned these were likely hoaxes and education facilities were not evacuated.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that there was currently no indication that a “concrete danger exists.”
“The exact number of schools is undetermined, as the emails were sent to hundreds of them and then each school decides when to evacuate following the advice of the local police branch,” the spokesperson for the Italian police said.
Authorities are investigating the source of the email, the spokesperson said, declining to confirm the email address the communication came from.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara told Italian TV that about 300 schools across Italy had received the threats, but downplayed them as related to cyber attacks and not a “genuine risk.”
In central Rome, dozens of kindergarten and primary school children enjoyed a day off as the Quirinio Visconti primary school was evacuated. Their parents were notified to pick them up, a teacher told CNN.
Meloni said the government was “following very closely” reports of the threats directed at schools, saying the incidents appeared aimed at “generating alarm and concern.”
The Italian prime minister said the government was “doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of citizens.”
In Northern Ireland, more than 300 schools received a threatening email, police said Wednesday, adding that the message originated outside the United Kingdom and was being treated as a hoax.
“Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low,” Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said in a statement.
The Education Authority said the message sent to “a large number of schools” in Northern Ireland resembled a hoax sent to schools last month and that it was unaware of any evidence of a “credible” threat.
Police in the Republic of Ireland said a generic communication had been sent to “a number of educational establishments” Wednesday. Police assessed the threat as “not credible” and said they were not advising any evacuations.
Dublin teacher Sharon Magee told CNN her school received a bomb threat at 10:55 a.m. local time (5:55 a.m. ET), but it was not evacuated.
“We were just told to keep alert in case we noticed anything on the premises and then the day just went ahead as normal,” she said, adding that everyone at the school got through the day safely.
Meanwhile, Police Scotland said “threatening messages” were sent to schools. The force said the messages were being treated as hoaxes and advised schools that the emails alone did not warrant evacuation.
Wednesday’s incident is the latest in a series targeting infrastructure and organizations across Europe.
“Everyone can be a target and that makes it harder to defend ourselves 100%,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told CNN the day before hundreds of schools were evacuated Wednesday, describing efforts by Italian authorities to combat attacks.
“The goal of this hybrid warfare is to destroy this sovereignty and generate panic,” Crosetto said.
Last week, a string of hoax bomb threats disrupted dozens of flights and targeted media organizations across the continent.
And in the last few weeks, cyberattacks have hit supermarket refrigeration systems in France, Sweden, Belgium and Ireland.
The European Union said last week it was too early to tell whether the bomb threat incidents were linked, while security analysts and government ministers have suggested the wave could be part of a wider hybrid campaign or series of malicious hoaxes.
This story has been updated with developments.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting.
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