Follow-Up: Third Wave of Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupts at Least 18 European Flights; RTE HQ Evacuated
A third wave of hoax bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe on Friday, November 6. The Guardian counted at least 18 more flights affected, traveling to or from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania and the United Kingdom. Every affected aircraft landed safely, and searches found no explosive devices. Counts for Friday differ by source: The Guardian put the figure at no fewer than 18 flights, while Eurocontrol's preliminary count was 14.
Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic across the continent, counted 35 threatened flights over three days: 7 on November 3, 14 on November 5 and 14 on November 6. On Friday the threats also spread to newsrooms: Irish broadcaster RTÉ evacuated its Dublin headquarters and ran pre-recorded programming for hours. Nine of Friday's affected flights used Prague's Václav Havel Airport, including a Wizz Air jet bound for Rome that diverted to Venice, where passengers were evacuated after landing.
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the threats as "malicious hoax threats." EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said it was too early to say whether the incidents are linked. Investigators have said there is so far no evidence that a hostile state or terror group is directing the hoaxes, but inquiries continue. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told broadcaster TVE that identical methods across so many countries could not be coincidence and suspected "hybrid aggression." Some of the threatening emails were signed "Mikhail Andropov," and others claimed to come from the Russian far-right group Male State; neither claim has been verified.
Source: The Guardian
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国联邦航空管理局大楼（GSM 固定图库；示意）。The FAA building. (GSM asset library; illustrative)
