Hoax bomb threats emailed to broadcasters and airlines across Europe have disrupted flights in several countries, and Ireland’s government says the threats are likely part of a coordinated campaign. No explosives were found.
The Irish government said the series of hoax bomb scares sent to Irish media outlets and European airlines is likely part of a coordinated campaign of disruption, according to France 24. That outlet’s source is a partial transcript, and only a short excerpt was usable.
Ireland’s broadcaster RTE evacuated its premises after receiving a threat, according to France 24. Several Italian airlines said they received a message claiming to be from a Russian extremist group calling itself the Fighters of the Male State.
Emails sent to the Rome and Sofia airports were signed ‘the fighters of the Male State’, according to text seen by AFP and the company operating Rome airport, as reported by the Straits Times.
Newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria received emailed threats on Friday from a purported ‘Mikhail Andropov’, headlined ‘Message to the West’, according to Dawn. RTE evacuated its offices and suspended programming, the outlet reported.
No explosive devices were found, and all planes, including those threatened on Friday, landed safely, according to Dawn. Hungarian jets escorted airliners through Hungarian airspace, and Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said Nato had ordered some air patrols in the area, Dawn reported.
Reuters could not establish the identity of the sender, the origin of the emails, or whether they came from the same source as threats to flights affected since Tuesday, according to Dawn. The ‘Mikhail Andropov’ claim and the Male State signatures have not been confirmed as coming from the same sender.
Male State founder Vladislav Pozdniakov denied on Nov 6 any links with the fake bomb threats, saying the movement ‘does not exist since 2021’, according to the Straits Times. Moscow has denied involvement, but no detailed Russian government response was available.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Europe appeared to be facing ‘hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare’, according to Dawn.
The Male State was founded in 2016 by Pozdniakov, a blogger and fitness coach, and was banned by Russian authorities in 2021 for ‘extremism’. The threats follow a wave of sabotage attacks across Europe, including on German electricity substations, Baltic defence-related facilities and supermarket refrigerators in France. Many officials have linked the campaign to Europe’s support for Ukraine, but no country has formally attributed blame.
European authorities are working to identify the sources of the threats, and officials are weighing a possible hybrid campaign response. Further threats remain possible.
Several key details rest on single outlets, and the Irish government’s statement has not been reported in full. Responses from Sky, Nova TV, Ryanair and Copenhagen airport beyond their quoted statements are not reported.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.