Dublin (AFP) – Ireland's government said Friday that hoax bomb claims sent to Irish media outlets amid a spate of threats against Europe-wide flights were "likely" part of a "co-ordinated campaign of disruption".

Issued on: 06/11/2026 - 15:39

A host of commercial flights in Europe have been hit by false bomb threats this week, forcing the authorities to reroute some planes or escort civilian aircraft with fighter jets.

Authorities are scrambling to identify the sources of the threats.

Some of the messages have come in emails signed by "fighters of the Male State", which matches the name of a radical misogynist group in Russia -- though AFP has not confirmed any link to the messages.

No explosives have been found in any of the incidents so far.

The threats spread to a new target on Friday, with staff at several Irish media organisations evacuated after bomb threats were emailed to newsrooms, Dublin said.

No responsibility has been established as Ireland prepares to welcome high-profile European Union meetings in the capital next week.

The Irish government however linked the incidents to similar threats affecting flights across Europe.

"It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralised or co-ordinated effort," it said.

"These threats come on the heels of the ongoing disruption to aviation around Europe caused by similar threats, and it seems likely that this is a co-ordinated campaign of disruption," it added.

A senior NATO military official said the alliance continued to monitor the situation and was working "closely with allies".

Some of those countries responded to "the potential threats" by scrambling aircraft, the official added.

-'Costs nothing' -

The series of false alarms, which are difficult to trace, forces security services to respond and spreads fear at virtually no cost to those responsible, experts told AFP.

"This must be viewed in the context of hybrid operations against European states," Jean-Marc Rickli, director of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, told AFP, without speculating about who might be responsible.

"It costs the perpetrator nothing, but it has a significant impact logistically and, of course, on public perception," he said.

Mark Rowley, chief of London's Metropolitan Police, urged a measured response, saying past experience with the paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA) offered valuable lessons.

He recalled the phrase "10-p (pence) terrorism", when a hoax bomb call could disrupt an entire city, forcing authorities to distinguish between genuine and false threats.

He said authorities would need to adapt to an evolving threat landscape involving actors around the world, some backed by hostile states.

"We are going to have to adapt to that same methodology to make sure that we don't overreact to every message we get online," he told BBC Radio 4.

Dozens of threats

Four more bomb threats were made on Friday against aircraft flying over France, said the prime minister's office.

The planes landed "without incident" and bomb disposal teams were conducting security inspections, it added.

Other bomb threats meanwhile targeted multiple flights to and from Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia on Friday, authorities said.

Many of the airline threats have targeted low-cost carriers.

A Ryanair flight scheduled to depart from Lisbon for Rome was targeted with a threat while the plane scheduled to fly the route was still approaching the Portuguese capital on its way over from Italy.

At least 11 flights were targeted in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria: four flights arriving at Prague airport and five flights leaving Prague were threatened, as well as two flights to Sofia.

Portuguese police said an inspection of the Ryanair aircraft found no explosive device or suspicious object.

In the Czech Republic, the airport and police declined to give details on the affected flights.

Prague airport spokesman Jiri Hannich told AFP that "airport operation remains standard and smooth".

The threat comes after nearly 30 passenger flights were targeted across Europe on Thursday, including planes bound for London, Madrid and Copenhagen.

-'Skies will turn red'-

Some previous hoax messages seen by AFP have contained misogynistic messages.

"We, fighters of the Male State, with our actions today will leave a mark in history. Your feminist regime will remember it forever," said one sent to multiple email addresses for Sofia airport. "The explosion will occur in 60 minutes. Today your skies will turn red."

Despite this, the group supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Experts say it is unclear whether it is connected to Russian authorities.

© 2026 AFP

The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.