Hundreds of schools in Italy, UK evacuated over 'hoax' bomb threats

Hundreds of schools across Europe were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats, police forces say, in the latest wave of efforts to intimidate populations. Italy's education minister Giuseppe Valditara told Italian TV that threats were presumed to be hoaxes, and that the number of schools affected was expected to rise. The emailed threats, sent just before 10 a.m. local time to more than 300 schools, were signed "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan," according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said threatening emails to over 300 schools were treated as a hoax, while Police Scotland similarly said there was nothing to suggest the threats posed any credible risk to the public. This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.