Newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria received emailed bomb threats on Friday, allegedly from an individual claiming responsibility for a series of hoax threats that have disrupted passenger flights across Europe. The messages, sent to Bulgaria's Nova TV and Ireland's public broadcaster RTE, which evacuated its offices and suspended programming, were titled "Message to the West." The sender claimed the threats were a prelude to attacks on transportation across Europe. British broadcaster Sky also reported receiving a security threat.
Reuters has not independently verified the identity of the sender or the origin of the emails, nor is it confirmed they are linked to all the flight disruptions that have occurred since Tuesday.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares suggested that Europe is facing "hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare." No explosive devices were found, and all affected flights landed safely.
Escalation of Threats
The threats to newsrooms add to concerns among European officials that the hoaxes are part of a coordinated campaign of "hybrid" disruptions. Many have pointed to Russia as the source of these actions, aimed at countries that have provided support to Ukraine. However, Moscow has denied any involvement.
Security experts have suggested the threats might be intended to punish European nations that have aided Ukraine. Alternatively, individuals may be involved in creating false trails, issuing copycat threats, or acting on personal grievances.
On Friday, an Italian airport authority source reported that a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice. Despite over a dozen hoax threats, the overall disruption to air travel was less severe than on previous days. Hungarian jets escorted airliners flying from Brussels to Sofia and from Prague to Bucharest and Cyprus through Hungarian airspace. Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi indicated that NATO had ordered some air patrols in the region.
These incidents follow a series of sabotage attacks and attempted disruptions across Europe, targeting infrastructure such as German electricity substations and Baltic defense facilities. Germany has directly blamed Russia for a drone attack on Leipzig airport.
EU Commissioner on Hybrid Operations
European technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated on Thursday that Europe has been subjected to various hybrid operations since 2022, including infrastructure sabotage, drone incursions, cyber breaches, and election interference. "We are under attack all the time," she said. "The reason behind these operations is to destabilize our societies and create mistrust among our citizens."
Virkkunen added, "It’s not always Russia who is behind different hybrid operations. Quite often it is Russia."
On Thursday, an airport source in Italy mentioned that bomb threats were sent to several airlines and airport operators in Rome and Milan, purportedly from "fighters of the Male State," a far-right anti-feminist movement banned in Russia. Vladislav Pozdnyakov, a Russian blogger who founded Male State, has stated the group no longer exists and is not involved in these threats.