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Europe Bomb Hoaxes Hit Flights and Newsrooms — No Explosives Found

Abstract editorial illustration of European airspace with stylized aircraft silhouettes and radar rings; no real people or logos

A fresh wave of hoax bomb threats disrupted passenger flights across Europe this week and, on Friday, spilled into newsrooms — including Ireland’s RTÉ, UK-based Sky, and Bulgaria’s Nova TV. Authorities say no explosives have been found and no one has been injured, but the scale and timing of the alerts have raised alarms about coordinated disruption.

What happened

According to the Associated Press and AFP, dozens of commercial flights received bomb alerts over several days. Roughly half a dozen flights were disrupted on Tuesday, followed by more than two dozen on Thursday. On Friday, new threats continued: Czech police logged alerts tied to nine flights involving Prague; France reported four aircraft over French territory that later landed safely; a Wizz Air Prague–Rome flight was diverted to Venice; and Hungarian officials said fighter jets escorted airliners through Hungarian airspace. Eurocontrol, Europe’s air-traffic coordinator, said overall disruption to aviation remained limited while it worked with airlines and airports to keep traffic flowing.

Threats expand to broadcasters

On Friday the campaign appeared to widen beyond aviation. AP, Al Jazeera, and The Independent reported that Irish public broadcaster RTÉ evacuated its Dublin headquarters after an emailed threat; programming was briefly suspended. Sky said it had received a security threat, completed a security assessment, and reported the matter to authorities. Bulgaria’s Nova TV was also named as a recipient. AFP reported that several other Irish outlets — including the Irish Independent, Newstalk, Today FM, and Virgin Media — evacuated staff after similar emails. No bombs were found at the newsrooms involved, outlets and police said.

Who is behind the hoaxes?

Attribution remains unconfirmed. The Independent reported that European security officials are investigating whether the campaign originated in Russia, with intelligence services pointing to possible pro-Kremlin activists or hacking groups, according to the Financial Times. Some emails cited by Italian airport sources purportedly came from “fighters of the Male State,” a far-right movement banned in Russia; Reuters could not confirm the senders, and Vladislav Pozdnyakov, who founded Male State in 2016, said the group no longer existed and was not involved. Other messages to media were signed with names such as “Mikhail Andropov” and headlined “Message to the West.” Officials and experts also note the possibility of copycats or unrelated actors. European technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Reuters that Europe has faced a range of hybrid operations since 2022 and that “quite often” Russia is behind such activity — while stressing it is “not always” the case.

Why it matters

Even when every alert is a hoax, the operational cost is real: diversions, emergency landings, fighter escorts, airport searches, and newsroom evacuations drain security resources and erode public confidence. The threats arrived alongside other European disruptions cited by AP — including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions — feeding concern about low-cost “grey zone” harassment that is easy to deny and hard to deter. For travelers, the practical takeaway from Eurocontrol is that the aviation system has largely absorbed the shock so far; for newsrooms and governments, the open question is how to harden reporting channels without amplifying every false alarm.

What’s next

Investigations continue across multiple countries. Airlines and airports are expected to keep screening protocols elevated. Broadcasters that received threats say they have reported incidents to police. No explosives have been recovered in any of the publicly described cases so far. Readers should treat unconfirmed attribution claims — including theories about Russian intelligence or “Male State” — as allegations under investigation, not established fact, until authorities present evidence.