Thousands of schools in the UK, Italy, and Ireland were targeted by threatening emails, with investigators tracing some messages to a hacked Taiwanese university account

A wave of bomb threats targeted schools across the UK, Italy, and Ireland on Wednesday, prompting evacuations and widespread disruption.

More than 300 schools in Northern Ireland and at least 470 in Scotland received threatening emails, police said. The authorities said the messages were hoaxes.

According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the emails originated outside the UK. “Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low,” PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said.

More than 6,300 schools in Italy received bomb threats, with evacuations and lockdowns reported in several areas, including the northern Emilia-Romagna region.

According to ANSA, the email was sent from a compromised account at Dayeh University, a private institution in Taiwan.…