French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Friday that the false bomb alerts that are increasing in Europe are “clearly coordinated” and may be linked to “foreign interference,” in statements to the LCI television channel.
The minister said: “With regard to bomb warnings in civil aviation, we also clearly see the possibility of foreign interference.”
He pointed out the possibility that “Russia, and perhaps other countries that want to destabilize us and are organizing campaigns” are behind these false reports.
Nuñez said: “The recent wave of bomb alerts in the civil aviation sector included several European countries, so we have strong doubts,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Schools in Italy, Ireland and Britain received false bomb alerts on Wednesday, while three educational institutions in France received similar threats on Thursday.
In early November, similar warnings affected dozens of commercial flights across Europe. This led to aircraft being diverted and escorted by fighters, as well as evacuations or inspections, without any explosives being found.
These warnings raise growing concern in Europe about the possibility of being part of a “multi-means war.”
The minister said: “Investigations are being conducted, in cooperation with European bodies such as Europol, and the intelligence services are exchanging a lot of information to try to determine the source of these alerts, which are clearly coordinated.”
The minister was answering a question from a viewer who expressed her concern about “the increase in bomb warnings everywhere,” asking: “Are we in danger?”
He explained that these warnings increase in certain periods, saying: “There are periods when we receive many warnings that in fact turn out to be false most of the time,” and he stressed: “However, we always deal with them very seriously.”
Last Saturday, the Public Prosecution Office in Paris announced the opening of an investigation into false reports of bombs targeting aircraft flying over French territory, looking in particular into the possibility that foreign powers were behind them.
The Public Prosecution said, in response to an inquiry by Agence France-Presse, that the investigation “is underway to uncover the senders of the e-mails that included this false information to suggest serious destruction, and their possible connection to foreign powers.”
On Friday, the German House of Representatives approved an amendment granting the intelligence services broad surveillance powers and a mandate to respond to the operations of hostile agencies.
The Bundestag, the lower chamber of the German Parliament, approved a draft law that specifically allows the implementation of secret operations such as acts of sabotage or cyber attacks, in a text that was discussed in the context of an increasing Russian threat, according to Berlin.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in parliament that “Germany has become a theater for operations by terrorism, extremism and external forces,” according to Agence France-Presse.
Until now, the role of the German intelligence services was limited to collecting information, but in the future they will have “executive” powers similar to the intelligence services of other countries, in order to avert dangers or respond to attacks.
The approval of this amendment comes in parallel with strengthening the capabilities of the German army in the face of a possible Russian military attack in the coming years.
Internal and external intelligence services will be able to carry out electronic attacks to manipulate or erase data. For example, these devices will be able to modify weapons manufacturing instructions or sabotage the information systems of drone factories or chemical weapons laboratories.
However, these agencies will not be given authorization to practice violence against individuals, contrary to what is done by some intelligence agencies in other countries. An independent oversight board is supposed to be established to control these devices.
Opponents fear that this will weaken the rule of law, bringing to mind the transgressions of the Nazi or communist regimes.
Clara Bünger, a member of the radical left-wing Die Linke party, said: “Alexander Dobrindt is creating a new German secret police.”
In late October, Quantum Systems, a German company that manufactures drones and supplies Ukraine, was subjected to a cyberattack of unknown origin that forced the German army to suspend the flying of its fleet of the company’s drones for a short period, according to what sources reported on Friday to Agence France-Presse.
Moscow was not explicitly accused of carrying out the attack, but it comes at a time when Germany, Kiev's biggest supporter, confirms that it is a major target of sabotage, electronic piracy, and disinformation campaigns run by Russia.
Quantum Systems said in a statement published on Thursday, without naming Moscow: “Companies at the forefront of efforts to support Ukraine are being specifically targeted, because our work is critical to the security of our customers.”
A source familiar with the file told Agence France-Presse that there are indications of Russia’s involvement, but this cannot be proven at this stage, explaining that the intelligence services are continuing their investigations. The German Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bavaria-based company supplies the Ukrainian army with surveillance drones, and develops autonomous systems powered by artificial intelligence and capable of operating by air, land and sea.
The source told Agence France-Presse that the German army suspended the flights of its fleet of Quantum Systems drones as a precaution after the attack, then resumed their operation a few days later. He continued that a malicious file was sent through the company’s servers that distribute updates to ground control and planning systems.
The source explained that only the German army was affected by the attack, while the Quantum Systems drones used in other countries continued their operations.
Since the large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the European defense industry has faced an escalation in espionage and sabotage operations generally attributed to Russia.
In light of European rearmament efforts, Quantum Systems' revenues have increased significantly in recent years, reaching 300 million euros (about 330 million dollars) in 2025.
