Why Italy Evacuated 300 Schools Over an Email Police Called a Hoax

Hundreds of schools in the UK, Italy and the Republic of Ireland received a threatening email on Wednesday 11 November. Authorities are treating it as a hoax.

Italy evacuated roughly 300 schools over the perceived threat. In Northern Ireland, more than 300 schools received the same email. Police there said it originated from outside the UK and treated it as a hoax. Authorities in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland reached the same conclusion: the email was a hoax, and it came from outside the United Kingdom.

Irish police assessed the threat as not credible and said there should be no evacuation. They noted increased activity in hoax and non-credible bomb threats and advised the public to contact officers if they receive one.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said incidents of this nature are taken very seriously and that the concern in the community is understood.

Irish police pointed to a recent increase in hoax and non-credible bomb threats. That context shapes how quickly a threat is judged not credible.

What remains unknown is who sent it and from where. Officials have said the email originated outside the UK but have not named a country or a suspect. It is not known how many schools in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland received the email, or whether any evacuated. It is also not known whether this wave is connected to other recent hoax bomb threats.

What is known is the mechanism: a single coordinated message can stretch police and school resources across borders, and the official response turns on a credibility judgment made under time pressure. Irish police asked the public to report any similar email to officers.