Bomb threats in Europe: signs of a coordinated attack are increasing

Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares is certain that the numerous bomb threats against aircraft are an attack by autocratic forces on Europe's democracy. “It is clear that this is not a coincidence,” he told TV station RTVE and spoke of an “attempt at hybrid aggression and psychological warfare.”

According to Albares, hacker attacks on digital platforms or supermarket refrigeration systems also fit into this pattern. "There are actors in the world who act in this way to weaken Europe," he said. Europe is a project of hope and stands for the combination of democracy, tolerance, economic growth, redistribution and social justice. “This worries those who want to return to the law of the strongest,” warned the chief diplomat.

Again bomb threats in air traffic

The series of mysterious bomb threats in European air traffic continues. A Wizzair flight from Prague to Rome had to be diverted to Venice due to a threat, according to the Italian news agency Ansa. In Lisbon, Portugal, two bomb threats were received against the same Ryanair plane, as the state television station RTP reported, citing the police.

There were also bomb threats against planes from London and Brussels to Sofia. The planes landed safely at Sofia Airport and "nothing alarming" was discovered during checks by the border police, as public radio in Sofia reported. According to an airport spokeswoman, threats were directed against nine flights in Prague, and there were also incidents in France.

Threats also against Irish media companies

In addition, other industries reported almost identical incidents. Employees of the Irish broadcaster RTÉ and other media companies had to be brought to safety after a bomb threat in the morning. In addition to RTÉ, the Irish Independent newspaper and the radio station Newstalk were also affected.

It is unclear whether the threats against the media companies are related to the incidents in air traffic. “However, these threats come on the heels of ongoing disruption to European air travel caused by similar threats and it appears likely that this is a coordinated campaign of disruption,” the Irish government said in a statement, according to the PA news agency.

Letters of responsibility from Russian right-wing extremists

It is still unclear who is behind the many bomb threats in Europe. In some cases, letters of responsibility were received from "Men's State Fighters", a right-wing extremist group from Russia. However, a connection cannot yet be proven.

Spain's Foreign Minister Albares also admitted that it would certainly take some time before it became clear who was behind the actions. “But we will find out,” said the minister confidently.