Several flights diverted across Europe after bomb threats
What's the story
Multiple flights were diverted across Europe on Thursday morning due to bomb threats, according to Reuters. More than 10 flights were reportedly affected. The alerts affected planes heading to Italy, Belgium, and Bulgaria. This comes after at least seven flights and a cruise ship received threats on Tuesday, causing disruptions at European airports. No explosives were found in these incidents.
Flight diversion
Flights diverted to Evreux, Brussels
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Evreux airport, around 100km west of Paris. The airline confirmed the plane landed safely as a precautionary measure.
In Belgium, a Polish LOT carrier aircraft was also diverted to Brussels's Zaventem airport due to similar threats.
In Prague, Czech police say they were preparing to receive four flights after threats about an "improvised explosive device," but they assessed the "relevance of the threats as low."
Bulgarian response
3 flights diverted in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, three flights were diverted after receiving bomb threats. Flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport. A third flight from London diverted to Plovdiv, according to local media reports.
No country has blamed any party for these threats amid accusations against Russia and Iran for alleged hybrid attacks and sabotage efforts.
Disruption strategy
Hoax bomb threats part of a similar pattern?
This week, unidentified hackers also disabled refrigerators at supermarkets in several European countries, resulting in tons of spoiled food at a total cost of millions.
The temperature in several shops across Europe reportedly rose to as high as 50C (122F).
Most supermarkets in Europe are linked to the internet, and maintenance and troubleshooting can be done remotely
Experts suggest that hoax bomb threats could be part of a similar pattern of cheap disruption efforts, making it difficult to establish responsibility.