Rome School Evacuated After Bomb Threat as Email Claiming to be From Iran's Guards Targets 271 Schools

An anonymous email claiming to represent Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was sent to 271 Italian schools on 2 November 2026 and named Ryanair flight FR4438 from Riga to Rome Fiumicino, which was airborne at the time. The following day, separate bomb alerts involving passenger aircraft across Europe prompted searches, diversions and fighter escorts, including an Italian Air Force escort for a Dublin-to-Rome Ryanair flight.

The school email and subsequent aviation alerts prompted evacuations and security checks, but investigators have not publicly established a connection between them. Italian investigators have not identified links between the Fiumicino alerts and similar incidents elsewhere in Europe. The sender's claimed IRGC affiliation also remains unverified.

Email Claims IRGC Identity and Names Ryanair Flight

The email reached Rome's Giovanni Cagliero school complex, which includes Gianni Rodari primary school in the Tuscolano district, at about 10.15am, according to principal Anna Fucile. Its sender claimed to represent the 'Corpo delle guardie della Rivoluzione islamica', the Italian rendering of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The message claimed an explosive containing ammonium nitrate and a remote detonator had been planted. It referred to metal fragments and threatened to stab survivors.

It specifically named Ryanair flight FR4438 from Riga to Rome Fiumicino and threatened to detonate an explosive aboard to demonstrate that the warning was not a joke. Flight records confirm the aircraft was airborne that morning. Italian authorities have not verified the sender's claimed identity or attributed the messages to Iran or the IRGC.

Schools Evacuate Children After Graphic Threat

Principal Anna Fucile activated evacuation procedures after reading the email and alerted police and emergency services. Staff moved about 1,800 pupils and staff from the Giovanni Cagliero complex to nearby Villa Lais, according to Fucile. Bomb-disposal teams and explosives-detection dogs searched the buildings as teachers escorted pupils outside and staff contacted parents to arrange collection.

Other schools in Rome and several Italian regions, including Lazio, Veneto, Lombardy and Liguria, also received the messages and activated precautionary procedures. Eight of the 271 schools named were in Rome. Searches at the Giovanni Cagliero complex found no explosives, and the buildings were cleared. Italian Postal Police opened an investigation into the emails.

Italian Fighters Escort Dublin Ryanair Into Rome

On 3 November, two Ryanair aircraft arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport faced separate bomb alerts. A flight from Lisbon landed at about 9.40am and underwent security checks. Flight FR9611 from Dublin landed at about 10.44am after Italian Air Force fighters escorted it to the airport.

Police and bomb-disposal teams inspected the Dublin aircraft, while passengers and baggage underwent security checks. Both Ryanair aircraft were cleared after searches found no explosives. Police operations ended shortly after midday.

Bomb Alerts Disrupt Flights Across Europe

The Rome incidents occurred amid separate bomb alerts involving passenger aircraft elsewhere in Europe on 3 November. A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia underwent emergency security procedures after a bomb warning. A Wizz Air flight from Bergamo to Sofia in Bulgaria was also inspected after landing. Searches found no explosives on either aircraft.

In Poland, a LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin after a bomb warning, temporarily disrupting airport operations. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw also underwent checks after a separate alert. The incidents followed a separate bomb threat on 2 November, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia diverted to Budapest and was escorted by Hungarian fighter jets. The aircraft was cleared after security checks and later continued to Sofia.

Postal Police Investigate School Threats as Aviation Links Remain Unclear

Italian Postal Police are investigating the school emails, including their sender and contents. Investigators have not publicly identified the sender or verified the claimed IRGC affiliation. Corriere della Sera reported that the messages used a fake email address associated with Egypt's education ministry. The report does not establish who sent them.

Authorities have not publicly linked the school email to the subsequent aviation alerts. ANSA reported that investigators had found no links between the Fiumicino incidents and similar alerts elsewhere in Europe. The school message named FR4438 while it was airborne between Riga and Rome. The later aviation alerts involved different flights. Investigators have not established whether the incidents were connected.