Hoax bomb threats have disrupted at least 34 flights across Europe this week, with some forced into emergency landings and searched on arrival.
Zoom in: Thursday’s 25 threats touched flights between Italy, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Greece, Serbia and Czechia.
- Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Wizz Air, Finnair, easyJet, Aegean, Iberia, Sky Express, Air Serbia and LOT were affected, and every aircraft landed safely with nothing suspicious found on board.
Between the lines: Emails sent to airports in Rome and Sofia were signed "fighters of the Male State," a Russian ultranationalist movement, though investigators say there is still no evidence of a hostile state or terror group behind the campaign.
The big picture: The hoaxes follow cyberattacks this week on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe and on a French blood bank, and a Kremlin spokesperson called it "absurd" to blame Moscow.
What they're saying: Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto called the pattern "under-threshold warfare" and said it is "done that way on purpose, so no one can pin the blame."
Why it matters: Diversions are expensive and highly disruptive, and airlines have little choice but to act on any remotely credible threat, so one phone call can reroute a jet full of passengers.
