Wave of bomb threats targets European flights

Dozens of flights across Europe received hoax bomb threats this week, with a Russian extremist group claiming responsibility for some of the alerts.

A wave of bomb threats has targeted passenger flights across Europe over the past week. According to reports by BBC Russian and the Jerusalem Post, dozens of aircraft received hoax alerts claiming explosives were on board, forcing several flights to divert and perform emergency landings at airports other than their destinations. No explosives were found in any of the inspected cases.

A Russian extremist group claimed responsibility for threats against specific flights, including an Aer Lingus service from Dublin and a Finnair flight from Helsinki, warning of an imminent explosion. European authorities have initiated extensive security checks. Further details have not yet been released.