Bomb threats target European flights and media organisations
A wave of security threats has disrupted dozens of passenger aircraft and major broadcasters across the European continent.
A series of bomb threats targeting passenger aircraft and media organisations has caused widespread disruption across Europe, according to reports from the Times of India and Reuters. Since the beginning of the week, nearly 30 flights have been affected, leading to emergency security checks, diversions, and fighter-jet escorts in several countries.
The crisis expanded on Friday, November 6, when broadcasters including Ireland's RTÉ, Britain's Sky, and Bulgaria's Nova TV received security threats, prompting evacuations. While searches of the affected aircraft and the evacuated RTÉ premises found no explosives, authorities are investigating whether the incidents are part of a coordinated campaign.
In Bulgaria, fighter jets escorted three airliners to the ground, including two Ryanair flights from Copenhagen and Madrid that landed at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport. A third Ryanair flight from London Stansted was diverted to Plovdiv. In France, authorities confirmed four fresh threats against planes, and fighter jets were used to intercept an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome.
One threatening email sent to airports in Rome and Sofia claimed to represent the 'fighters of the Male State', a banned Russian anti-feminist movement. However, the identity of the sender and any connection to the movement remain unverified. Vladislav Pozdnyakov, the founder of the movement, denied involvement, stating the organisation no longer exists.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the incidents as a possible form of 'hybrid aggression' and 'psychological warfare'. European security agencies are still working to establish if the threats are the work of individuals or a coordinated effort to create fear.