Hoax bomb threats that have disrupted dozens of European flights this week reached newsrooms on Friday, forcing evacuations at Ireland’s national broadcaster and several other Dublin media offices. Police searched the buildings and found nothing, but the alerts have already forced diversions, fighter-jet escorts and extra security checks across the continent.
Irish newsrooms evacuated
Staff left RTE headquarters in Dublin after a threat email arrived, with armed police at the scene. Offices of the Irish Independent, Newstalk, Today FM and Virgin Media also emptied. Newstalk presenter Claire Byrne told listeners after returning to air that staff had been ordered out and later told the warning was a hoax. Ireland hosts two days of high-profile European Union meetings in Dublin next week.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister, Simon Harris, said: “We don’t yet know whether it’s an individual behind this effort or some form of a coordinated effort.” He called it a “serious and evolving situation” and said police, security forces and cyber experts were treating it very seriously.
Flights targeted across Europe
Friday brought fresh threats against flights serving Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia. A Ryanair service due to leave Lisbon for Rome was targeted while its aircraft was still inbound from Italy. Prague airport reported nine flights threatened — four arriving and five departing — and two more services bound for Sofia were targeted.
| Day | Scale | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 7+ flights, 1 cruise ship | Threats forced emergency landings, fighter escorts and airport closures; all hoaxes |
| Thursday | Nearly 30 flights | Planes bound for London, Madrid and Copenhagen among targets |
| Friday | 12+ flights | Lisbon-Rome Ryanair targeted; 9 Prague flights, 2 Sofia flights; Irish newsrooms evacuated |
No explosives found anywhere
Searches have found no explosives in any incident so far, and every threatened aircraft has landed safely. Budget carriers have borne the brunt: Ryanair, Wizz Air, Scandinavian Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines all received threats. In Poland, two Warsaw-bound flights were targeted; one runway at Warsaw Chopin closed while a Scandinavian Airlines jet was checked, and a LOT flight from London Heathrow diverted to Warsaw Modlin, which then closed as well. Italian Eurofighters escorted a Ryanair flight from Dublin into Rome Fiumicino.
Mystery sender claims campaign
Emails sent to Irish broadcasters were signed “Mikhail Andropov” and titled “Message to the West”. The message said the flight disruption was “only the beginning” and “a small part of what awaits Europe in the near future”, and warned of attacks on planes, cruise ships, subways and trains. It also claimed the senders had “experimented with multithreading” and forced European authorities to spend heavily on security procedures. Some airline threats arrived in emails signed “fighters of the Male State”, the name of a far-right movement in Russia — though its founder, Vladislav Pozdnyakov, said the group no longer exists and was not involved.
Hybrid warfare fears grow
No country has formally blamed anyone, and officials have not established whether one person, a coordinated group or copycats are responsible. But the incidents follow a wave of sabotage and attempted attacks across Europe, and officials link the campaign to European support for Ukraine. Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said the most reasonable assumption was an attempt at “hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare”. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that “Russian sabotage operations throughout Europe must stop”. Moscow has strongly denied involvement. Hungarian fighter jets escorted airliners through Hungarian airspace on Friday, and NATO ordered extra air patrols in the region.
Europe bomb hoax wave: key questions
No. Searches found no explosives in any incident, and every threatened aircraft landed safely.
At least seven flights and a cruise ship on Tuesday, nearly 30 flights on Thursday, and more than a dozen more on Friday, including nine flights linked to Prague airport.
Investigators have not identified the sender. Emails to Irish media were signed “Mikhail Andropov”, while some airline threats used the name “fighters of the Male State”. Officials have not confirmed any link between the messages.
Flights are operating, but with extra security checks, diversions and fighter escorts where threats are received. Authorities say the disruption eased on Friday despite new threats.
