"Explosion in 60 Minutes"... Bomb Threats Target 27 Airliners Again

[Anchor]

Bomb threats against passenger planes have once again hit various European countries. With threat reports pouring in for at least 27 flights, massive disruptions rippled through the skies.

Reporter Kim Jeong-gi has the details.

[Reporter]

An Italian Air Force fighter jet closely tails a Finnair passenger plane traveling from Helsinki, Finland, to Rome, Italy.

This came after a bomb threat was received for the flight carrying 151 passengers and crew members.

The airliner landed at Rome Airport under the emergency escort of two fighter jets and underwent a thorough search, but no explosives were found.

An Aer Lingus flight heading from Dublin, Ireland, to Rome also made an emergency landing at a French air base after receiving a bomb threat.

[Airline Passenger: I heard that there were explosives loaded on board, but I couldn't know if it was real.]

On the 5th, local time, at least 27 passenger planes received such bomb threats across Europe in a single day.

Emergency landings and route diversions followed in various places, causing major chaos in European airspace.

The threatening emails contained chilling phrases such as "It will explode in 60 minutes" and "Your skies will be dyed red today."

Reports emerged that the emails bore the signature of a Russian extremist group, but the mastermind behind the threats has not been clearly verified, including the authenticity of the signature.

[Jacob Funk / Military Expert: Their goal is to cause anxiety and confusion over whether air traffic throughout Europe is safe and reliable.]

Amid growing suspicions that the continuous disruptions in Europe—ranging from hacked refrigeration facilities to false bomb threats against aircraft—might be part of Russia's hybrid operations, Sweden has decided to implement border controls for six months until May of next year to counter these threats.

[Video Editing: Kim Kyeong-yeon]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.