Ireland denounced this Friday (13) a "probable coordinated campaign" of false bomb threats against commercial flights and media outlets. The threats caused disruptions to air transport in different European countries throughout this week.
Among the press outlets that received threats are the British broadcaster Sky News and the French broadcaster TF1. In different parts of the continent, planes had to change their route, were escorted by fighter jets, evacuated or subjected to safety inspections. No explosives were found.
No group claimed responsibility for the threats. Even so, the Irish government said it considered it "likely" that the episodes were part of a "coordinated campaign aimed at causing disruption", according to a statement.
This Friday, more than 20 flights were affected, according to European authorities:
Eleven flights to or from Prague, Czech Republic, received bomb alerts.
Four other flights bound for Madrid, Spain, and an aircraft traveling between Lisbon and Rome were also the target of threats.
In France, four planes flying over the country received bomb alerts.
Two flights from London and Brussels that landed at Sofia airport in Bulgaria also had a bomb threat, the Bulgarian transport minister said.
Hungary said it deployed fighter jets to escort three flights that had bomb alerts.
All aircraft landed without incident and underwent inspections by teams specializing in explosives.
Since the beginning of the week, dozens of commercial flights in Europe, as well as one cruise, have been the target of bomb threats.
Alerts mobilize security teams and cause fear and disruption, even when there are no explosives. For experts, this type of action has a low cost for those responsible, but can cause major impacts on logistics and the population's routine.
Hybrid operations?
Planes at Prague airport amid bomb threats in Europe — Photo: REUTERS/David W Cerny
For months, European countries have denounced the increase in destabilization operations that they attribute to Russia and Iran. Among the actions are disinformation campaigns, sabotage, cyber attacks and attacks.
Intelligence services have also been warning for weeks of the possibility of an increase in these operations, especially by Moscow, with the aim of weakening European support for Ukraine.
Without pointing out who is behind the threats, Jean Marc Rickli, director of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Policy Center, told France Presse (AFP) that the episodes should be analyzed in the context of so-called hybrid operations against European countries.
"It costs nothing for those who do it, but it has an important impact on a logistical level and, logically, on the population's perception. The authorities cannot ignore these warnings because, if one materializes, they will be considered responsible", he stated.
The lack of information about those responsible also makes it difficult for authorities to respond.
On Thursday, threats sent to airports in Rome, Italy, and Sofia, Bulgaria, were attributed to so-called "Masculine State fighters."
The expression appears to refer to a Russian ultranationalist movement, but there is no confirmation of a link between the group and the alerts. The movement's founder denied any involvement.
Police chief urges caution
Plane that was heading from Dublin to Rome and was diverted to France after a bomb threat — Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A European security source stated that, in recent years, there has been an increase in confrontational situations that do not amount to armed conflicts, but involve hostile actions and attempts at destabilization between countries.
Examples include cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, intimidation and the use of migratory flows as an instrument of political pressure.
London Police Chief Mark Rowley urged caution in the face of threats and said authorities needed to avoid overreacting to each alert received.
In an interview with BBC radio 4 this Friday, Rowley compared the current situation to false bomb threats recorded during the period of activity of the IRA, an Irish paramilitary group.
"We've experienced this in the past. When we faced terrorist threats linked to the IRA, decades ago, we talked about '10p terrorism' (10 cents): a fake phone call announcing a bomb could disrupt an entire city. We had to learn to live by distinguishing between what was a hoax and what was real," he said.
According to Rowley, authorities will have to adapt this experience to the current scenario, in which threats can come from different countries and, in some cases, be coordinated by hostile governments.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, also denounced cyber attacks against civilian infrastructure.
"Today, we are not in a position to say whether (...) they are all related. But they all indicate, without a doubt, the same reality: today it is civil infrastructures that are being attacked", he declared to journalists during an event.
