New bomb threats target European broadcasters, air traffic

What the report says

A new wave of bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe on Friday and broadened beyond airports to include news organizations, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP, AP and Reuters. The alerts were described as hoaxes, but they triggered security checks, evacuations and flight diversions in several countries, adding to similar incidents earlier in the week.

British broadcaster Sky said it received one of the threats and had reported it to authorities after conducting a security assessment. In Ireland, RTE said it evacuated staff in Dublin after receiving an emailed threat that warned of an explosion within 45 minutes, while the government said similar messages were also sent to Virgin Media, Newstalk and The Irish Independent. Bulgaria’s Nova TV also received a bomb threat, with some messages attributed to a purported sender named “Mikhail Andropov.”

The aviation disruptions affected flights linked to Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, Paris and other European hubs. Hungarian officials said jets escorted some aircraft through Hungarian airspace, and French authorities said several planes over French territory received threats but landed safely. Airports in Denmark and the Czech Republic said operations continued, with no confirmed danger reported. Al Jazeera noted that the incidents followed more than two dozen flight disruptions the previous day and several earlier hoax alerts, raising concerns about whether the threats are part of a coordinated campaign.