Flights across Europe searched and diverted after hoax bomb threats

BERLIN, Nov 4, (AP): Several flights across Europe received hoax bomb threats Tuesday that prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing, officials said. The flights included Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The hoax threats came a day after a plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar bomb threat while in the air.

No one was injured. Matthew Borie of Osprey Flight Solutions, which advises airlines on flight threats, gave several hypotheses for the as-yet unexplained incidents: A single threat triggers copycat incidents; an individual or a group makes multiple threats; or operations of "hybrid warfare” by state actors or their supporters.

Such threats were "not a new phenomenon” and came at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and signs of "disruption,” like attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions in Europe and mysterious triggers to alert apps - even as authorities have warned that hybrid threats abound. The focus on Europe means "there could be a Russian angle," said Borie, the company's co-founder and chief intelligence officer.

"We need to keep in mind, though, that Iranian hybrid warfare is just as active in certain pockets of Europe as well.” His message for travelers? "Don't be alarmed,” he said, noting "coordinated response mechanisms” by national authorities - including, at times, the deployment of NATO fighter jets to escort such planes.

A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport Tuesday morning after receipt of an email reporting a bomb was on board, according to information provided by a Fiumicino official with knowledge of the events. Police bomb disposal experts carried out security checks of passengers, crew and baggage and found no explosives.

There was also a bomb threat reported on another Ryanair flight to Rome from Dublin, with no explosives found, the official said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The Italian Air Force confirmed it scrambled two Air Force Eurofighters to "intercept and escort” a plane bound for Rome.

It said it responded immediately "following a report of a suspected threat aboard a civilian aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome Fiumicino.” In Poland, meanwhile, a morning flight by Polish airline LOT from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport was diverted to nearby Modlin Airport after a bomb threat, Polish press agency PAP reported. Modlin Airport was closed temporarily. LOT said "nothing was found on the aircraft” after a search of the jet at Modlin. Airport officials said normal airport operations had resumed. They did not give further details on the nature of the threats.