Threatening Emails Sent to Hundreds of Schools in UK and Italy Declared 'Hoaxes'

Threatening emails sent to hundreds of schools across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Italy are being treated as hoaxes, authorities have confirmed.

More than 300 schools in Northern Ireland reported receiving identical emails containing threatening messages. Similar emails were also sent to 470 schools across Scotland, while hundreds of schools in Italy were evacuated following threats.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the email, which originated from outside the UK, was being treated as a hoax.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said police were taking the incidents very seriously and understood the concern caused among local communities, schools, students and parents.

He said: "We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we understand the concern in the community, school communities and for students and parents."

He added that investigations were continuing, but the current assessment suggested that the risk to the public was low.

Police Scotland also confirmed that the threatening messages had been assessed and were being treated as hoaxes.

A spokesperson for the force acknowledged the distress such messages could cause to pupils, parents, carers and school employees.

The spokesperson said: "We understand how distressing messages of this nature can be for pupils, parents, carers and school staff, and the concern they can understandably cause."

Police Scotland also advised that schools did not need to close or send children home simply because of the content of the emails.

The incidents come after at least 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday following bomb alerts, according to the country's education minister.

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara told television channel La7 that the alerts were believed to be hoaxes.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later addressed the situation in a social media post, saying the threats did not represent a danger. She added that police and other relevant public authorities were closely monitoring developments.

Ms Meloni also announced that she would chair a meeting at government headquarters to review the situation and coordinate any further action required.

The latest incidents follow similar cases last month, when several schools in Northern Ireland and Scotland were forced to close after receiving fake bomb threats.

Northern Ireland's Education Authority (EA) said the latest email sent to schools shared "similarities" with the bogus threat received the previous month.

The authority confirmed that it was working closely with police and had not been informed of any evidence suggesting a credible threat against schools.

In a statement, the EA said: "At this stage, we have not been made aware of any evidence of any credible threat to schools."

It added that investigations were still ongoing and that the PSNI was responsible for determining whether the messages posed any genuine danger.

The Education Authority advised schools to remain alert and immediately report any suspicious activity to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Police Scotland confirmed that its cyber and fraud unit was conducting extensive investigations to identify where the threatening emails had originated.

Officers are also continuing to work with law enforcement agencies across the UK and internationally as part of the investigation.

In a statement, Police Scotland said the messages had been distributed widely through mailing lists covering schools across the UK and Northern Ireland.

The force reiterated that its assessment remained unchanged and that the emails did not represent a credible threat.