Bomb threats from unknown sources are sweeping Europe.. What do we know?

This week, Europe witnessed a series of false bomb reports that affected dozens of flights and a number of media organizations, disrupting travel plans and prompting the authorities to intensify their efforts to uncover the identity of those responsible for these threats. New disturbances affected European airports and flights on Friday, and the Irish national broadcaster (RTÉ) evacuated its offices after receiving a bomb threat.

Other media organizations, including Sky, reported receiving similar threats. These incidents come at a time when Europe is facing an increase in hybrid attacks. These are attacks for which the authorities have in some cases held Russia responsible, although it is still unclear who specifically stands behind this latest wave of threats. Here is what we know so far: Who are the targeted parties?

Initially, these threats targeted airports and airlines. Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic reported on Friday that new threats had been made against air traffic at Copenhagen and Prague airports, respectively.

At the same time, the Hungarian Defense Minister stated that fighter jets accompanied three planes that were flying in the country’s airspace, after reports of a threat were received on Friday morning. Dutch authorities told the National Broadcasting Corporation (NOS) that a KLM plane coming from Prague to Amsterdam was searched immediately upon landing, but no explosives were found on board.

This came after at least 14 other flights were subjected to similar threats on Thursday. Threats targeting media organizations - mostly in Ireland - emerged later on Friday.

A reporter for the Irish Broadcasting Corporation (RTÉ) read excerpts from an email received by the corporation, in which someone claimed to be planning to blow up “planes, cruise ships, tube stations and trains” in Europe. According to PA Media, the message stated the following: “We want the whole world to know about us, and that is why one of our members planted an explosive device in your building.

“The device will explode in 45 minutes, and you are running out of time.” It is not entirely clear yet, although the Czech and Italian authorities indicate that it was sent via email.

A representative of Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague told Ufaq News that the threats the airport received regarding the presence of bombs on board four flights were received via an anonymous email. A Czech police spokesman told Ofoq News Network that the message was addressed to the airport, noting that similar messages were sent to other airports in Europe.

As for the threats related to flights to Italy, they were contained in an email sent by an anti-feminist group calling itself “The Masculine State” to a logistics company that works with Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. The email, which was first published by Sky TG24, which cooperates with the Ofoq News network, included a false claim of the presence of “explosive devices” on board two flights. One is coming from Helsinki and the other is from Dublin.

An airport spokesman confirmed to Ofoq News that the screenshot circulating is real. The International Counter-Terrorism Center, a research center based in the Netherlands, stated that the “Male State” movement was founded in Russia in 2016 as an anti-women movement, and later emerged as an explicit supporter of the war in Ukraine.

In 2021, a Russian court banned this group and classified it as an extremist organization. All European airports are developing plans to deal with incidents of this type and conducting training exercises regarding them.

Speaking to Ufoq News Network, Keith Jeffries, former director of federal security at Los Angeles International Airport, explained that all airports “have bomb threat management plans, and conduct training based on those plans,” allowing them to make decisions within a few seconds. Jeffries emphasized that the bottom line is that no aviation authority can ignore any bomb threat.

Again, it remains unclear at this point who exactly is behind these threats. No European country has yet identified any official body or specific country behind it.

The European Union also stated that it is too early to say whether these incidents are related to each other. Security analysts and government ministers have suggested that it may be part of a broader hybrid campaign, or a series of malicious hoaxes.

Eric Schouten, head of the aviation security group Diame, suggested that saboteurs working for the Russian state were responsible for this. Reuters quoted Schouten as saying: “From railways to food infrastructure - as we saw in the cases of refrigerator hacking - and other operations, this is consistent with the approach of Russian state actors seeking to destabilize Europe.”

He also pointed out that many of the affected countries had provided support to Ukraine in its war against Russia. The German Foreign Ministry also referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, explaining that Europe's security "is being tested in areas far beyond the Ukrainian front line."

The Ministry cited bomb threats, electronic attacks targeting refrigeration systems in supermarkets, and drones that penetrated the airspace of some European countries as examples of these threats. In the same context, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez said: “The most logical assumption is that we are facing an attempt at hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare.”

Meanwhile, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander described the threats as a “malicious hoax”, but the authorities avoided identifying any specific party responsible. Irish official Simon Harris told Cork 96 FM radio, saying: “We do not yet know whether there is an individual behind this attempt” - which targets the country’s media - “or whether it is part of a coordinated effort.” So far, it has been shown that all the threats were false, as the relevant authorities reported that no explosive devices were found.

These attacks, of course, caused disruption to passenger traffic. Passengers and crew of at least 14 planes were affected on Thursday, including an Aer Lingus flight bound for Rome that was diverted to France, and two flights coming from Spain and Denmark that were forced to change their course to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

This comes after at least seven flights were rerouted on Tuesday. Analysts warn that these threats may aim to cause disruption in air traffic and monitor the response of airlines and authorities.

“These threats in the aviation sector coincide with cyberattacks that targeted refrigeration systems in supermarkets across Europe,” Iliran Almog, CEO of Aviation Cybersecurity Company Civation, told Reuters. He added: "Various basic services are suffering from disruptions that are causing huge losses to the economy and may undermine public confidence."