New wave of bomb threats hit European airlines

What the report says

European airlines faced another round of bomb threats on Friday, marking the third such disruption this week, according to BBC World News. The latest warnings affected flights to and from Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia, and authorities said three aircraft were escorted by Hungarian fighter jets. Several flights in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria were also reported targeted, while France said at least four flights received threats but landed safely. No explosives had been found on any plane by Friday.

The report says the airline disruption came alongside separate threats against media organizations in Ireland and the UK. RTÉ, Ireland’s public broadcaster, was evacuated, and staff at the Irish Independent plus Dublin offices of NewstalkFM and TodayFM were advised to leave. Sky also said it received a security threat. Irish police said they were aware of threats against media organizations, but the BBC noted that no concrete connection had been established between the airline threats and the media warnings.

Irish officials described the situation as a likely coordinated campaign of disruption, while Prime Minister Micheál Martin called it worrying and said public safety was the priority. The earlier wave of threats affected nearly 30 aircraft and several airports across Europe and was described by the UK as a malicious hoax. The BBC also noted that a group linked to earlier false airport threats in Italy denied involvement.