Bomb Threats Ground Seven Passenger Planes Across Europe, Triggering Fighter Jet Scramble

On the 3rd (local time), a series of bomb threats targeting seven passenger planes flying over European airspace triggered emergency landings and fighter jet scrambles.

According to Reuters and the British daily The Guardian, a bomb threat alert was issued at 9:54 a.m. for a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Poland's LOT Polish Airlines, which had departed from London Heathrow Airport in the UK bound for Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland. Seven minutes later, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Modlin Airport just outside Warsaw.

Authorities closed Modlin Airport and inspected the interior of the aircraft, but no explosives were found.

The 181 passengers on board were transported to Chopin Airport by bus after safety measures were completed.

Airport officials stated that a bomb threat was also received for a Scandinavian Airlines passenger plane flying from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Warsaw earlier that morning, which landed at Chopin Airport and was subsequently searched.

Bomb threats were likewise received via email and other channels for passenger flights operating on several other routes: Manchester, UK to Murcia, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal to Rome, Italy; Dublin, Ireland to Rome; Bergamo, Italy to Sofia, Bulgaria; and Dublin to Sofia.

The aircraft heading to Rome landed under the escort of Italian Air Force fighter jets.

Among these flights, the Bergamo-Sofia route was operated by Hungary's Wizz Air, while the rest were operated by Ireland's Ryanair.

Searches revealed no explosives, and no group has come forward to claim responsibility.

It remains unconfirmed whether there is any connection among the seven bomb threats received that day.

In Greece, a search operation was conducted on the Panamanian-flagged cruise ship Crown Iris, scheduled to depart from the island of Syros to Haifa, Israel, after an unidentified individual claimed that explosives had been planted on board.

Following an attempted hijacking by a co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight traveling from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Tel Aviv, Israel on September 30, bomb and hijacking threats targeting aircraft traveling to and from Europe have continued to surge.

The previous day, a Wizz Air passenger flight traveling from London Luton Airport to Sofia, Bulgaria, was forced to divert its route due to a bomb threat and landed at Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary.

After confirming that no explosives were found following a search, Wizz Air resumed the flight to Sofia.

Last month, hijacking and bomb alerts were issued for passenger flights operated by Turkey's Corendon Airlines and Austrian Airlines, respectively, resulting in emergency landings.

Following the hacking incidents targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across various European countries the previous day, the simultaneous bomb threats against seven passenger planes in a single day have sparked suspicions that the incidents may be part of Russian operations targeting Western instability.

Erik Schouten, CEO of the Dutch security intelligence firm Deasmi, claimed, "From railways to food infrastructure, the ongoing situation involving hacked refrigerators and various types of operations aligns with the narrative of Russia seeking to plunge Europe into chaos."

Cyberattacks that remotely raised the temperatures of supermarket refrigeration and freezing units up to 55°C were identified in at least 10 countries the previous day, including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Italy, Portugal, and Germany.

Similar hacking incidents occurred consecutively last month across supermarkets throughout France and at six grocery stores located on U.S. military installations in the United States.

Tom Hegel, a researcher at the security firm Sentinel, asserted regarding the three hacking incidents that they are "low-cost but inflict massive economic damage on the targets," adding that all of them are likely the work of organizations associated with Russia.

(Photo: Captured from the LOT Polish Airlines website)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.