Bomb threat in Turin's schools on 11 November 2026
Date of the event:
On 11 November 2026 an email threatening attacks, signed "Mikhail Andropov", leads to the evacuation of numerous schools in Turin and its province. The message, sent shortly before 10am from an address traceable to a domain of Taiwan's Dayeh University, announces the placement of an explosive device and threatens a "genocide against Italians" by the self-styled "leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan" [2]. The episode is part of a wave of false bomb threats that, according to the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara, affected at least 300 schools across Italy [3].
The schools evacuated in Turin
In Turin, the schools evacuated include the Gioberti classical lyceum, the Berti lyceum, the Galileo Ferraris scientific lyceum (Galfer), the Bodoni Paravia institute, the Umberto I boarding school (Convitto) and the Segrè institute [1][2]. According to reports, the Corio comprehensive school in the Canavese area was the first to call the 112 emergency number, triggering the police response [1]. All schools of the Matteotti-Pellico complex are also evacuated: Parato, Borgarello and Matteotti in piazza Zara, Pellico at the Giardini Mutatori and Balbis at Parco Europa [1]. At the Berti lyceum, where final-exam tests and mock exams were under way, deputy head Carla Baracco says she evacuated the students immediately after receiving the email at 10am [2]. Students return to their classrooms around 11.40am [2].
The province and the rest of Piedmont
In the province of Turin, the Europa Unita school in Chivasso, the Dante Alighieri middle school in Volpiano with its via Sottoripa, Ghirotti and Guglielmo buildings, and the middle and primary schools of Rivarolo Canavese are evacuated [1]. The alert spreads to other Piedmontese provinces: in Alessandria the Cavour and Bovio primary schools are evacuated, two schools in Novi Ligure, with reports also coming from Valenza, Rivalta Bormida, Casale Monferrato and Pozzolo Formigaro; in the Novara area the secondary schools of Borgomanero are cleared, along with the lyceum in Gozzano, a middle school in Ghemme and the sports lyceum in Omegna; in the Vercelli area the ITI technical institute in piazza Cesare Battisti is affected; in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola nine schools are hit between Verbania, Omegna and Domodossola [2].
Investigations and institutional reactions
Police receive 25 calls from headteachers of as many Turin schools, while Turin's Carabinieri receive around forty calls; the postal police open an investigation to trace the email's origin, also checking for a possible link to previous false bomb threats against flights signed by the "fighters of the Male State" [1]. Piedmont Region president Alberto Cirio says he is following the situation "personally" with prefects and the regional education office [1]. Education Minister Valditara calls for alarmism to be avoided, stressing that "the number of schools involved makes clear that there is no real risk," while acknowledging a "strategy" behind the messages [3]. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto speaks of a "strategy of sowing [fear], creating worry" [3]. The regional councillor responsible for education, Daniela Cameroni, calls the events "of unprecedented seriousness" and calls for them to be firmly prosecuted [3]. Consumer group Codacons highlights the impact on families, forced to take time off work or hire babysitters to collect their children early [3].
Sources
- La Stampa — 11 November 2026
- la Repubblica Torino — 11 November 2026
- TorinoOggi — 11 November 2026