From BBC News · · 1m 30s
Who is behind Europe's airline bomb hoaxes?
Dozens of false bomb threats forced European airlines to divert flights this week. Suspicion points to Russia, but no hard evidence has emerged.
In brief
Dozens of false bomb threats forced European airlines to divert flights this week. Suspicion points to Russia, but no hard evidence has emerged. Coordinated hoax bomb threats across European airlines this week sparked suspicion of Russian involvement, but authorities have found no concrete evidence linking them to…
Hoax threats hit European airlines
Coordinated bomb threats forced airlines across Europe to divert aircraft this week. Most were treated as credible enough to act on. Italy even scrambled fighter jets. All threats proved false.
Russia suspected but not proven
The simultaneous, coordinated nature of the hoaxes, combined with recent cyber-attacks and drone sightings across Europe, has led some to suspect Russia.
Pattern of disruption across Europe
Earlier this year, Europe saw cyber-attacks, mysterious drone sightings over sensitive sites, remote hacking of supermarket freezers and a blood bank, a suspicious incident on Poland's border with Russia, and a drone attack on Germany's…
Possible motive: retaliation
Russian bloggers have suggested that if Ukraine's drones make Russia's airports unsafe and Western sanctions block Russian airlines from European airspace, then Western nations should feel the same pain.
Email claims group name, but unclear
An email sent Thursday morning to Rome airport authorities claimed to be from Fighters of the Male State, likely referring to Muzhskoi Legion, a Russian ultra-right group banned by Moscow court in 2021.
The headline
Coordinated hoax bomb threats across European airlines this week sparked suspicion of Russian involvement, but authorities have found no concrete evidence linking them to Russia or any group.
