[Anchor]
Simultaneous reports claimed that explosives had been planted on around 20 aircraft traveling to and from various parts of Europe. Detailed searches revealed the threats were false, but the incidents caused disruptions as the affected planes were forced to make emergency landings or turn back.
Reporter Jeong Gu-hui has the details.
[Reporter]
Italian Air Force fighter jets escort a Finnish civil airliner flying toward Rome with passengers on board.
The jets were dispatched to escort the plane after a report was received that explosives had been planted on board, but no explosives were found following a thorough search after landing.
Another civil airliner carrying 151 passengers from Ireland to Rome also had to circle European airspace due to a false bomb threat before making an emergency landing at a French air force base.
A flight heading from London to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was also forced to land at a different Bulgarian airport.
[Airline Passenger: We heard that there was an explosive on board, but we had no way of knowing if it was true.]
On Thursday, local time, reports of explosives planted on aircraft operating across various parts of Europe led to major disruptions, with planes making emergency landings and diverting to other airports.
Reuters reported that at least 27 passenger planes were affected across Europe.
On November 3, reports of explosives planted on seven European airliners were also received.
Experts analyze that while it remains unclear whether these acts were carried out by existing terrorist organizations, a coordinated pattern is detected across the series of incidents.
[JACOB / Military Expert: Their goal is to create anxiety and disruption, showing that air traffic across Europe is unsafe and unreliable.]
Amid the bomb threat reports, suspicions have also been raised over whether this is an operation by Russia aimed at escalating anxiety in Europe, as recent hacking incidents targeting supermarket refrigerators across various European countries continue to spread, though no clear evidence has been confirmed yet.]
(Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki)
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