Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights and Newsrooms

European newsrooms and passenger airlines have received a series of bomb threats, prompting evacuations, flight disruptions and military escorts, though no explosives have been found and all affected aircraft have landed safely. On Friday, emails addressed to Bulgaria’s Nova TV and Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTÉ, claimed to come from a person using the name “Mikhail Andropov.” RTÉ evacuated its offices. Britain’s Sky also reported receiving a security threat. The messages described the threats as a prelude to attacks on transport across Europe. Reuters could not verify the sender, the emails’ origin or whether the newsroom threats were connected to threats affecting flights since Tuesday. The flight disruptions have spread across several countries. On Friday, fighter jets escorted aircraft travelling through Hungarian airspace, and Hungary’s defence minister said NATO had ordered an air patrol near the Hungarian-Romanian border. Authorities also reported threats involving Copenhagen airport, nine flights to or from Prague, aircraft over France and a Wizz Air flight diverted from Prague to Rome. Other aircraft made unplanned landings or were escorted, while some airports and airlines reported normal operations. Officials said there was no danger to passengers in some cases; no flight cancellations were reported in Prague. The threats follow a spate of similar messages to airlines and airports, including emails in Italy that purported to come from the banned Russian campaign group Male State. The origin of those messages was also unverified. Security experts said the pattern could indicate a coordinated “hybrid attack,” while cautioning that copycats or individuals acting on personal grievances were also possible. The incidents come amid wider sabotage attacks and attempted disruptions across Europe, including at electricity, defence, retail and airport facilities. Some officials have linked this activity to Russia’s opposition to European support for Ukraine, describing it as low-cost, deniable “hybrid” interference. Moscow has denied involvement. Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, called the pattern a likely attempt at “hybrid aggression” and “psychological warfare,” while saying it would take time to establish what had happened. Reuters could not confirm the source of the threats, and Vladislav Pozdnyakov, who founded Male State, said the group no longer existed and had no involvement.

The Russian extremist group known as “Male State” has denied involvement in a series of hoax bomb threats that disrupted flights and prompted evacuations in Europe. The threats named the group, which is known for misogynistic views and was banned in Russia in 2021. An account on Telegram linked to the group and its founder, Vladislav Pozdnyakov, dismissed the accusation and questioned the BBC’s decision to ask about it. The group has since used the name “Male Legion” in some places, and Pozdnyakov is believed to live abroad. The first email seen by the BBC was sent on Thursday to offices and individuals at Aeroporti di Roma, the company that manages Rome’s airports, and to accounts at Fiumicino airport. Its sender address appeared to be linked to Colombia’s state health services. Written in Italian, it claimed that group “fighters” had planted explosives on two incoming flights as an attack on Italy’s “feminist regime.” One Aer Lingus flight was diverted to a French military base, while another plane was escorted into Rome by Italian air force jets. No explosives were found. Further threats were reported, including on flights operated by Ryanair and Wizz Air, and on Friday several Irish media organisations evacuated after receiving bomb threats. Italian newspaper La Stampa suggested Male State could be behind the threats, while Bellingcat previously described it as an extremist far-right online supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The wider investigation has not established who sent the threats or whether they are coordinated or copycat incidents. Italy’s defence minister, Guido Crosetto, warned that the incidents could be part of a “strategy to increase chaos,” linking them to other recent disruptions and cyber attacks. He said Italy’s priority was to protect the country’s security.

A series of suspected hoax bomb threats disrupted flights across Europe during the week, affecting air travel in London, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Prague and other cities. Danish police said they were investigating threats directed at air traffic at Copenhagen Airport on Friday, but reported no immediate danger to passengers. Czech police also reported threats involving planes arriving in and departing from Prague. Reuters reported that at least 27 flights were affected Thursday, with some making unexpected landings and others being escorted by fighter jets. Several airlines confirmed incidents. Finnair said threats against two flights from Helsinki—to Rome and Vienna—were unfounded; both aircraft landed safely, and inspections in Rome and Vienna found nothing unusual. Wizz Air reported threats against flights from Milan to Bucharest and Warsaw. The Bucharest-bound plane landed safely and was cleared after checks, while the Warsaw flight was diverted. Aer Lingus diverted a Dublin-to-Rome flight to Normandy, and LOT said two Warsaw flights were subject to threats; both airlines said their aircraft were cleared after inspections. Separately, a French prosecutor opened an investigation into whether the Aer Lingus pilot’s reported refusal to land at Evreux, as French authorities directed, constituted a criminal offense. Reports said two fighter jets subsequently compelled the plane to land. Air France CEO Ben Smith said his airline was unaffected, while describing the coordinated threats as unprecedented and expressing hope that they would not deter travelers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy characterized the incidents as appearing to be “false attacks” and said the United States was coordinating with European partners. EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas cautioned that it was too early to determine whether the incidents were connected. The article notes that seven passenger planes, including two departing from the U.K., had also faced suspected threats on Tuesday, which the U.K. government called malicious hoaxes.

A wave of bomb threats that has disrupted air travel across Europe expanded on Friday to media organizations in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Ireland’s public broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), evacuated its buildings after receiving a threat, and UK broadcaster Sky reported a security threat. An RTÉ reporter said the group claiming responsibility for Friday’s threats was the same group that had targeted airlines earlier in the week. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris said authorities had not determined whether the threats came from one person or a coordinated effort, describing the situation as serious and evolving. Prime Minister Micheál Martin called the developments worrying and said the Gardaí and Defense Forces were investigating. He urged organizations receiving threats to take them seriously and inform police, explaining that authorities need an overall picture of the incidents. Martin said such actions can disrupt society and cause fear and anxiety. He also emphasized that security preparations for an upcoming high-level EU meeting in Dublin should not prevent the meeting from going ahead. Threats against flights continued on Friday. More than two dozen flights had been affected during the week, and police in Denmark and the Czech Republic responded to additional threats that were ultimately judged false. A Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest received a threat but landed at its destination before officials determined it was not credible. Copenhagen police said they had responded at the airport for a second consecutive day in connection with threats to air traffic, while reporting no danger to passengers and no flight disruption. The article notes that individual bomb threats are not unusual, but says the concentration of threats in a short period is unusual. It places the incidents amid rising geopolitical tensions with Russia and a broader wave of hybrid attacks causing disruption in Europe.

A wave of bomb threats disrupted air travel and prompted heightened security measures across Europe on Friday, November 6, 2026. At least 25 hoax alerts targeted airlines that day, bringing the reported weekly total to nearly 30 affected flights. Several aircraft were diverted, escorted by fighter jets, or inspected after landing; authorities said the affected planes landed safely and reported no explosives in completed searches. A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome diverted to Venice after a phone call to Rome Fiumicino Airport prompted a bomb scare. Two flights bound for Bulgaria—Wizz Air flight W64328 from Brussels and Ryanair flight FR1730 from London Stansted—received emailed threats while in the air. Hungary sent fighter jets to escort the Brussels–Sofia flight through its airspace and also escorted civilian flights from Prague to Cyprus and Romania. French authorities said four additional threats involved aircraft over French territory, and bomb-disposal teams inspected the planes after they landed. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome had been diverted to an airbase in northern France the previous day; French police opened an investigation after its pilot reportedly resisted calls to divert. Security measures also affected Copenhagen Airport, where Danish police deployed specialist teams after receiving hostile intelligence about air traffic. Operations included rescreening baggage and establishing a special security perimeter, although authorities said there was no immediate indication that passengers were in danger. Czech police had also cleared four aircraft at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport following inspections that found no explosives or dangerous items. The threats extended beyond aviation. Irish media organizations, including national broadcaster RTÉ and the Irish Independent, evacuated their Dublin offices after receiving emailed threats. The alert to RTÉ reportedly warned that a bomb would go off within 45 minutes. Some staff were later told they could return, and a Newstalk presenter said the calls had been deemed a hoax. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threat was worrying and was being taken seriously. The article describes the incidents as part of a broader series of hoax alerts that had also affected flights and a cruise ship earlier in the week.

The France 24 report describes a continuing wave of hoax bomb threats affecting countries across Europe. On Friday, several Irish media outlets said they had received threats, while more than a dozen additional flights were affected. The incidents had so far mainly targeted airlines, indicating that the threats were not confined to a single location or type of organization. The report says no explosives had been found in any of the incidents at the time of publication. European authorities were trying to identify who was behind the threats. The headline’s qualification, “Too early to draw conclusions,” underscores that the source, motive, and broader significance of the incidents had not yet been established. The report does not name suspects, describe specific security measures, or provide further details about the affected flights or media outlets. It attributes its coverage to FRANCE 24’s Brussels correspondent, Dave Keating, who reports on the developing situation. Overall, the article presents the threats as an ongoing cross-European investigation, while emphasizing that the alerts had not resulted in the discovery of explosives and that conclusions about their origins would be premature.