Updated 10:14 AM EST, November 5, 2026
Leer en español
MILAN (AP) — Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to a slew of emergency landings and military escorts in some cases, authorities said. No hazardous or suspicious materials have been found in what a British official called “malicious” hoaxes.
Several similar threats targeted planes earlier this week, prompting searches and diversions.
While fake bomb threats are not uncommon, it is unusual to see so many in a single day, causing widespread disruptions. They come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be ramping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe. The continent has experienced a slew of other disruptions recently, such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and mysterious triggers to alert apps.
It was not known whether this week’s threats were linked — and who was behind them remained murky.
An email containing the threat to Rome-bound planes was sent on behalf of a group that describes itself as anti-feminist, according to a copy provided by an airport official and reviewed by the AP. An official from another European airport said the threat they received also came from a group calling itself anti-feminist, and used some of the same language. It was not clear if they were the same groups. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to share the information.
Officials decry hoaxes
Britain’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told British broadcasters that flights across Europe have been hit by “malicious hoax threats.”
European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told reporters in Dublin that it was “too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked.”
“National investigations remain ongoing,” he said, adding that an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security had been activated.
A French air base is on high security
A flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in France after receiving a threat, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said. The Aer Lingus flight landed safely at the base in Evreux, which was under high alert, and military bomb disposal teams were examining the plane, the office said.
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment