Europe is either experiencing a string of hoax bomb threats made in extremely poor taste or something much more serious. Over the past week, a number of bomb threats were made against airlines across the region, leading to flights being diverted, grounded, and forced to make emergency landings. On Friday, similar threats were emailed to TV stations, warning that “the clock is ticking,” according to a report from Reuters.
The ominous message was reportedly received by Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the United Kingdom’s Sky, Bulgarian station Nova TV, and a number of others. The threats prompted evacuations and disrupted programming at some networks, though Nova TV continued broadcasting even as its newsroom was searched. According to Reuters, no bomb was discovered at any of the stations that received the threat.
A similar thing played out on flights across Europe earlier this week. Bomb threats were made against dozens of flights, per the New York Times, including some that were already in the air, forcing planes to divert and make emergency landings. Hungary even deployed fighter jets to escort three passenger planes through its airspace on Friday. Much like the threats placed against the TV studios, no bomb has been recovered from any of the flights that were supposedly carrying them.
While there has been no official link made between the threats, officials seem to feel like they aren’t just a series of isolated but similar incidents. Ireland’s government has declared that the threats are likely a “coordinated campaign of disruption,” according to the New York Times—though it conceded that “It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralized or coordinated effort.”
As for what can be done about it, well, it’s not quite clear. Airlines have little choice but to take the threats seriously, even when previous warnings have turned out to be hoaxes. That could mean continued diversions, emergency landings, and delays, though the disruptions so far have affected only a small fraction of European flights.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Union’s transport commissioner, said in a statement that security experts from nations across the bloc are already in contact and will “meet again in Brussels to review the situation and discuss the measures that may be necessary.” That meeting is expected to take place sometime next week, so hopefully the attackers plan to take the weekend off.
The threats also come as a number of European countries have been hit by serious cyberattacks, including a recent series of targeted hits made on refrigeration units across Europe, causing food in supermarkets to spoil and putting the nation’s blood bank supplies at risk.
