European airlines were hit with a new wave of bomb threats on Friday, while newsrooms in Ireland were evacuated after threats were made against media organizations.1,3,4,7
The threats marked the third such disruption to air travel this week and widened to include broadcasters and newspapers, raising concern among officials about a coordinated effort to disrupt daily life. Authorities said no explosives had been found on any aircraft searched as of Friday, and police in Ireland said no suspicious devices were found at evacuated newsrooms.1,3,4
A Ryanair flight scheduled to leave Lisbon for Rome was targeted, the airline said, and threats affected flights to and from Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia. Prague Airport said nine flights were targeted on Friday, while the Bulgarian government said two flights bound for Sofia were targeted. France reported at least four threats against aircraft flying over its territory, all of which landed safely, and Copenhagen police said officers were again at the airport in connection with threats directed at air traffic. Hungary scrambled fighter jets in response to threats involving three passenger aircraft, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said.1,3,4
Politico Europe reported at least 18 European flights were targeted Friday after at least 22 the day before, while ABC News reported more than at least 26 threats on Thursday. The BBC reported that nearly 30 aircraft and several airports had been affected earlier in the week, in what the UK called a "malicious hoax." Czech police said four planes heading to Prague received threats on Thursday and all four landed safely, with searches finding no suspicious objects.1,3,4
In Ireland, staff left the Dublin headquarters of public broadcaster RTE after it received a threat, disrupting some broadcasts. Newsrooms at RTE, the Irish Independent newspaper, Virgin Media TV and Newstalk radio received identically worded emails Friday morning claiming bombs had been left inside their offices, and three of the newsrooms were evacuated. Staff at the Dublin offices of NewstalkFM and TodayFM were also advised to leave, while Virgin staff kept broadcasts running. British broadcaster Sky, owned by Comcast, said it also received a security threat.1,3,4,7
Irish police said they were "aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe," and armed officers were deployed to RTE's Dublin headquarters. Prime Minister Micheal Martin called the developments "worrying," and said police and the Defense Forces were examining who was behind the threats. "Yesterday, there appeared to be coordinated efforts to disrupt air travel," Martin said. He told RTE it was not yet known if the threats had come from individuals or if it was a "coordinated attack" but said they were being taken seriously. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris told Cork 96FM radio, "We don't yet know whether it's an individual behind this effort, or some form of a co-ordinated effort," and called it a "serious and evolving situation."1,3,7
The Irish government said no link had been established between the threats against airlines and media outlets, but said it seemed likely they were part of a coordinated campaign. "Hoax threats such as these cause fear, distress and disruption to people going about their daily lives and activities; they achieve no positive purpose whatsoever," the government said. "It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralised or co-ordinated effort." Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public broadcaster TVE the flight threats could be "an attempt at hybrid aggression and war in some psychological way," adding, "it cannot be a coincidence that so many identical events occur with the same modus operandi throughout Europe." Luis Gallego, chief executive of airline group IAG, said, "It is clear that what they [the perpetrators] are looking for is to create chaos and disruption in the different airports."1,3
The threats came days before Dublin is due to host high-level European meetings. Ireland currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and Dublin is scheduled to host the European Political Community summit next Thursday. That gathering, created in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, brings together leaders of 47 countries and representatives of several bodies, including NATO, to discuss strategic issues, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also attending. A government official said the rise in anonymous disruptions to airlines, supermarkets and news outlets appeared timed to increase tensions before the summit.1,3,7
An Irish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "We have expected a rise in hybrid threats to Ireland because of our hosting of the EU presidency, and the EPC meeting will be by far the biggest set-piece event of that presidency, so one must presume it's no coincidence that we're experiencing this spike in hybrid activity now." The official declined to identify Russia as the likely source but noted that Denmark had faced a similar wave of hybrid activity before its own hosting of the summit in 2025. Politico Europe also reported that hackers had targeted supermarket refrigeration systems in at least seven European countries. A group calling itself "Male State," named in earlier threats to Italian airports, denied any link in messages to the BBC Russian Service, saying, "What Male State? Where have you seen it? It hasn't existed for many years," and adding, "If tomorrow they sign a [threat] letter, say, from Putin, will you then try to reach our president to ask your stupid question?"1,3
Czech police said they were investigating a threat to place an improvised device aboard a number of aircraft arriving at and departing from Prague Airport, and said necessary security measures were taken in cooperation with the airport with minimal impact on operations. Copenhagen police said their "immediate assessment" was that there was no danger to "passengers or others using the airport," while maintaining a visible presence and continuing to investigate. Martin urged any organization that receives a similar threat to take it seriously and report it to the police so they can have a "picture of what's happening."1,3,4,7
Airline professionals said every warning must be treated seriously. "No matter how remote the real possibility after a call that there is a bomb on board, we will treat it as if there is a bomb on board," said Paul Reuter, an airline captain and vice president of the European Cockpit Association. Irish police Superintendent Liam Geraghty said of the summit, "We have not seen a policing and security operation of this scale ever before in Ireland."3
