From TIME · Rebecca Schneid · · 3m
Europe hit by wave of bomb threat hoaxes
Dozens of flights across Europe were targeted by bomb threats this week in what officials fear could be hybrid warfare designed to disrupt civilian infrastructure and spread fear.
In brief
Dozens of flights across Europe were targeted by bomb threats this week in what officials fear could be hybrid warfare designed to disrupt civilian infrastructure and spread fear. A coordinated campaign of bomb threat hoaxes disrupted European aviation and broadcasters this week, prompting authorities to investigate…
Dozens of flights targeted
A Wizz Air flight from London to Bulgaria was diverted to Budapest on Monday after a bomb threat. At least seven flights were targeted Tuesday, more than two dozen Thursday, with threats continuing Friday.
Threats spanned across Europe
Affected flights connected Italy, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Greece, Serbia, Czechia, and the United Kingdom.
All threats identified as hoaxes
Authorities including the U.K. Transport Secretary described the threats as hoaxes. No attacks were carried out and each flight landed safely, but thousands of passengers were disrupted and fear spread.
Threats expanded to newsrooms
Friday, emails claiming bombs were planted in buildings forced evacuations at Sky News, Bulgaria's Nova TV, and Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. The message said this was only the beginning of disruption.
“What happened this week is just a small part of what awaits Europe in the near future”
Ireland suspects coordination
Ireland's government said Friday that it seems likely this is a coordinated campaign of disruption. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas activated EU-level aviation security information-sharing mechanisms.
Experts see hybrid warfare
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called the threats an attempt at hybrid aggression and psychological warfare. Elisabeth Braw at the Atlantic Council says they fall into gray zone conflicts between war and peace.
“attempt at hybrid aggression and psychological warfare”
Targeting civilian infrastructure
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said what is being attacked is civilian infrastructure, not military. This puts European nations in a tight spot if the actor is another nation, Braw explains.
“what's being attacked is civilian infrastructure”
Part of broader destabilization
Cyberattacks targeted refrigeration systems at grocery stores in at least nine European countries and blood banks in France. Two pro-Russian hacktivist groups claimed responsibility for supermarket attacks, though involvement remains unconfirmed.
Russia denies involvement
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov distanced the Russian government from cyberattacks Thursday, calling allegations absurd and unfounded. Some bomb threat emails were signed with a name matching a radical misogynist group in Russia.
Investigation underway
French prosecutors are investigating whether foreign powers are connected to the bomb threats. Robert Jordan at the Royal United Services Institute says identifying the source will rapidly escalate as a priority for European law enforcement.
Democracies face a dilemma
Elisabeth Braw says democracies cannot respond to hybrid attacks with military force without starting war, yet cannot allow such activities to continue. The dilemma grows more acute as threats accelerate and grow more sophisticated.
“you can't allow these sorts of activities to continue to proliferate, and that is a dilemma for European governments”
What matters most
A coordinated campaign of bomb threat hoaxes disrupted European aviation and broadcasters this week, prompting authorities to investigate whether hostile states are conducting hybrid warfare against civilian infrastructure.
