Sky reports security threat amid wave of bomb hoaxes affecting European flights
Sky said it received a bomb threat as hoax emails targeting airlines and newsrooms spread across Europe, prompting evacuations and flight disruptions but no explosives were found.
British broadcaster Sky said it received a security threat as a wave of bomb hoaxes disrupted passenger flights across Europe. The threats, sent from an address identifying a "Mikhail Andropov," were also emailed to newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria, prompting Irish broadcaster RTE to evacuate its offices and suspend programming and Bulgaria's Nova TV to take similar precautions. The messages, titled "Message to the West," framed the hoaxes as a prelude to attacks on European transport.
European officials said the incidents appear to be part of a broader campaign of hybrid disruptions, which many have linked to Russia, though Moscow denied involvement. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described the situation as "hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare." No explosive devices were found and all threatened flights landed safely.
Security experts suggested the threats could be intended to penalise countries that have supplied arms or funding to Ukraine, while acknowledging the possibility of copycat actions or personal grievances. On Tuesday, about half a dozen flights were affected, with more than two dozen disrupted on Thursday. On Friday, a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice, and Hungarian jets escorted airliners crossing Hungarian airspace.
The incidents follow a series of sabotage attacks across Europe, including attacks on German electricity substations and defence facilities in the Baltic region. European technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Reuters that Europe has faced a range of hybrid operations since 2022, including sabotage, drone incursions, cyber breaches and election interference. An Italian airport source reported bomb threats to airlines in Rome and Milan claiming to be from a banned Russian far-right group, which a Russian blogger said no longer existed.