Bomb threats disrupt seven flights across Europe, searches find no explosives

Bomb threats against seven passenger flights disrupted air travel across Europe on Tuesday, sending fighter jets to escort a plane into Rome and briefly closing an airport near Warsaw. Every aircraft landed safely, and searches found no explosives.

Four Ryanair flights were among those targeted, along with flights operated by Scandinavian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Wizz Air. No one claimed responsibility, and officials did not attribute blame. Authorities in several countries plan to cooperate in assessing whether the threats were coordinated, the BBC reported, but no official link has been established.

In Italy, two Eurofighter jets escorted a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport after a suspected threat was reported. A Ryanair flight from Lisbon was also searched after landing there. Checks of passengers, luggage and both aircraft found nothing, according to airport officials.

In Poland, a LOT flight from London Heathrow bound for Warsaw’s Chopin Airport was diverted to Warsaw Modlin, which briefly closed. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed as planned at Chopin, where a runway was closed while the aircraft was inspected. Neither search found a device.

A Ryanair flight from Manchester landed safely in Murcia, Spain, where authorities also found no explosives. A passenger identified as Sarah told BBC Radio 5 Live that those aboard were not told about the threat during the flight. After landing, she said, the plane was surrounded by emergency vehicles and passengers were escorted away without their belongings. “We were only later told that it was an actual threat, a bomb threat to the plane itself,” she said.

In Bulgaria, authorities checked a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo, Italy, and a Ryanair flight from Dublin after they arrived in Sofia. Neither was diverted, and no explosives were found. Bulgarian border police said an email had warned of an improvised explosive device on the Bergamo flight and a similar threat against the plane from Dublin.

The threats extended beyond those seven flights. London’s Metropolitan Police said it was aware of warnings involving four aircraft due to depart from or arrive at Heathrow, as well as a flight at Manchester Airport. Checks identified no security issues, police said, without providing further details.

A bomb alert also prompted the evacuation of the Panama-flagged Crown Iris cruise ship off the Greek island of Syros. The Israel-bound vessel was carrying about 1,500 passengers and crew, according to Al Jazeera; the BBC put the number evacuated at 1,537. Initial searches found no explosives, and the ship was expected to continue its voyage.

The incidents followed a Monday bomb threat against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton, which was diverted to Budapest and escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. Security checks found nothing. Al Jazeera reported that the flight had been headed to Sofia.

The UK government called Tuesday’s incidents “malicious hoax threats.” Aviation security expert Paul Mason told the BBC that threats against passenger planes “don’t happen that frequently,” making so many incidents in one day “unusual.”