At least 300 schools across Italy were hit by a bomb threat on Wednesday, prompting evacuations after they received an anonymous email, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said.
Bomb threats were also reported in the UK and Ireland.
In Italy, schools in Turin, Rome, Bergamo and Naples were among those affected.
Education Minister Valditara said the number of schools involved could still rise.
Italian media reported that the email was signed “Mikhail Andropov,” the same name used in a bomb threat sent to Irish media organisations last week.
A bomb threat was also reported in Giorgia Meloni’s car.
Schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland also received threats on Wednesday. However, police in both countries said these were false alarms.
Police in Northern Ireland said they were investigating threatening emails sent to more than 300 schools from a source outside the UK.
Similar messages were also received by schools in Scotland.
In Ireland, police said a number of schools had received the same kind of message,but the threat was not considered credible and did not recommend evacuations.
