New wave of bomb threats disrupts European flights and media outlets

A new wave of bomb threats disrupted commercial flights across Europe and led to the evacuation of several Irish media organizations. Authorities said no explosives were found on any aircraft.

Flight disruptions

Threats affected flights in multiple countries. In France, four aircraft flying over French territory were targeted, with three landing at Paris-Orly Airport and one at Bordeaux. All four landed without incident and were undergoing security inspections by bomb disposal teams, the French prime minister's office said.

In Italy, a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice following a bomb threat. A Ryanair flight from Rome landed in Lisbon on Friday morning and underwent security inspections following another bomb alert, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

In Bulgaria, two aircraft arriving from London and Brussels were inspected at Sofia Airport, following bomb threats received by email, with no suspicious items found, Bulgarian television channel NOVA reported, citing the Transport and Communications Ministry.

In Hungary, fighter jets escorted several passenger aircraft through the country's airspace following bomb threats, they were flights from Brussels to Sofia and from Prague to Cyprus and Romania, Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook.

Czech police investigated threats against four currently unidentified flights approaching Prague. A statement said "all necessary security measures" were taken and inspections found nothing suspicious. The investigation has been transferred to the Czech police's National Center Against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime.

Media threats and official response

Several media outlets, including RTÉ, were evacuated after similar warnings were made against them. Staff at the Irish Independent newspaper and the Dublin offices of radio stations NewstalkFM and TodayFM were also advised to leave their buildings. UK broadcaster Sky said it also received a security threat.

In a statement, gardaí said they were "aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe".

The Irish government said: "Hoax threats such as these cause fear, distress and disruption to people going about their daily lives and activities; they achieve no positive purpose whatsoever. It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralised or co-ordinated effort."

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the situation as "worrying" and added his government's first priority was the safety of the Irish public.

EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas stressed that it was "too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked," but said that "any threats against civilians are unacceptable."

Who is responsible

No official group or state has been identified by any European country. Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel said the perpetrators behind Thursday's threats remained unknown because the warnings had been made anonymously. He said there was currently no evidence of state involvement, although no possibility had been ruled out.

British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the threats as malicious hoaxes.

Aviation risk intelligence company Osprey Flight Solutions said the threats were "near certain" to be connected to those reported two days earlier and warned that further incidents were likely in the near term. However, it said the motivation, delivery method and identity of those responsible remained unclear.

---

Sources

• bbc.com: New wave of bomb threats hit European airlines
• aviationweek.com: European Airlines Face New Wave Of Bomb Threats | Aviation Week
• english.news.cn: Europe on alert as new wave of hoax bomb threats disrupts flights-Xinhua
• egyptindependent.com: Bomb threats disrupt European airports: 25 flights diverted in a single day - Egypt Independent
• timesofisrael.com: Fresh wave of bomb threats targets European flights, Irish media groups | The Times of Israel
• cnn.com: Wave of anonymous bomb threats in Europe spreads to broadcasters — what’s going on? | CNN

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.