European Authorities Investigate Wave of Hoax Bomb Threats Targeting Flights

European authorities are investigating a widening wave of bogus bomb threats that targeted dozens of commercial passenger flights and newsrooms across the continent over the past week.

French prosecutors opened a formal probe to determine the authors of the threats and whether foreign powers may be involved, noting that several threatened flights passed over French territory. The threats began on November 2, utilizing anonymous phone calls and emails to disrupt flights connecting countries such as Italy, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Greece, Serbia, Czechia, and the United Kingdom.

Incidents included a Wizz Air flight traveling from London to Bulgaria diverting for an emergency landing in Budapest on Monday, alongside military fighter jet scrambles and aircraft searches. No explosives were found in any of the incidents, and aviation authorities confirmed all affected flights landed safely. On Friday, the disruption expanded to media organizations when newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, including the Irish public broadcaster RTÉ and Bulgaria's Nova TV, received emailed bomb threats signed by a purported Mikhail Andropov or under names matching the radical Russian misogynist group Fighters of the Male State.

The message warned of further attacks on European transportation. Broadcasters evacuated their offices, and Ireland's government stated the hoaxes were likely part of a coordinated campaign of hybrid disruption linked to nations supporting Ukraine. The founder of the Male State group denied involvement, stating the movement has been defunct since 2021. European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas condemned the threats and activated EU-level aviation security information-sharing mechanisms.