Rome:Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made an appeal for political unity following a series of bomb hoaxes that disrupted Italian schools and raised concerns about cybersecurity. The call came after a meeting with opposition leaders at Palazzo Chigi to discuss cyber-related security alerts affecting the nation.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the meeting was convened one day after 6,000 schools received anonymous bomb-threat emails, which led to evacuations and inspections before authorities confirmed there was no actual danger. Despite these assurances, new threats continued to target schools on Thursday.

During the meeting, Meloni expressed the government's intent to share information about the incidents, which include hacker-related activities and false bomb alerts. She emphasized that the meeting was not a substitute for a formal parliamentary briefing and urged for cross-party cooperation.

Opposition leaders, including Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte, Nicola Fratoianni, and others, participated in the talks alongside deputy premiers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, and several senior ministers. They voiced a willingness to cooperate but demanded more details and concrete government proposals.

Democratic Party leader Schlein highlighted the need for discussions to proceed in formal venues, like parliament and its intelligence oversight committee, COPASIR. Five Star Movement leader Conte called for stronger protocols and faster actions to enhance cyber defenses, noting the significant impact of the email threats.

Fratoianni, from the Green-Left Alliance, questioned the authorities' inability to prevent such email campaigns despite previous incidents and advocated for increased cybersecurity funding. The government has linked the recent threats to a broader pattern of cyber threats and disinformation efforts. Meanwhile, schools resumed normal operations on Thursday.