False bomb threats are “concerted” and possibly a result of “foreign interference”, according to Laurent Nuñez

The false bomb alerts which are multiplying in Europe “are clearly concerted” and linked, possibly, to “foreign interference”, estimated Friday the Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez on LCI.

For “bomb threats in civil aviation, we still see a possibility of foreign interference, very clearly,” considered the minister.

“Russia, other countries possibly, which want to destabilize us, which organize campaigns” could be at the origin of these maneuvers, he stressed. Schools in Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom were the subject of false bomb threats on Wednesday. In France, three schools received the same type of threats on Thursday.

The origin of these bomb threats remains unknown

In early November, dozens of commercial flights were the subject of false bomb threats across Europe, leading to plane diversions, fighter escorts, evacuations or searches, without any explosives being discovered. These attacks are causing growing concern in Europe about the possibility of an escalation of hybrid warfare.

“The latest campaign of bomb threats in civil aviation concerned many European countries, so we have strong doubts,” continued the minister.

“There are investigations being carried out in particular with European authorities such as Europol and the intelligence services are exchanging a lot of information to try to detect the origin of these bomb threats which are clearly concerted,” he added.

Laurent Nuñez was responding to a question from a viewer, worried that there were “more and more bomb threats everywhere” and wondering if “we are in danger”.

“Bomb threats” come in “sequences,” he described, “there are times when we have a lot of alerts which are most often false, in reality.”

“Nevertheless, we always take them into account very seriously,” he assured.