Russian group claims bomb threats on two European flights
The Male State said explosives were on Aer Lingus and Finnair planes, part of a larger wave of 25 hoax threats across the continent.
By Rebecca Foster ·
A Russian far-right group known as the Male State claimed responsibility for bomb threats sent to two passenger planes heading to Italy on Thursday. The organization, which promotes patriarchy and Russian nationalism, sent the alerts via email to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
The Male State was banned inside Russia in 2021, but it continues to operate primarily online. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the group signed an email titled "reporting a threat" and accused recipients of a criminal conspiracy. The message stated that fighters of the Male State would leave a mark on history with their actions that day. It further claimed that a feminist regime would remember the event forever.
The threat specifically named Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin and Finnair flight AY1761 from Helsinki. The email warned that an explosion would occur within 60 minutes of the message being sent. It ended with the sentence: "Your sky will be red today."
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office confirmed that the Aer Lingus flight diverted safely to France's Evreux airbase. The location is roughly 100 kilometers outside Paris. A source close to the matter said the Italian air force escorted the Finnair flight to its scheduled landing in Rome.
These two incidents were part of a larger disruption affecting at least 25 flights across Europe on Thursday. The wave of hoax threats extended from Ireland to Bulgaria, marking the second such event this week. Some aircraft landed without warning, while others received escorts from fighter jets.
No government has formally blamed Russia for the Thursday threats, though many European officials accuse Moscow of orchestrating hybrid attacks. These operations are designed to be cheap and deniable. Denmark, Poland, and Romania, all affected by the disruptions, have previously accused Moscow directly. Germany blamed Russia for an August attack on Leipzig airport. Britain has also blamed Russia in the past but linked Iran to a suspected plot against a US air base. Both Russia and Iran deny involvement.
Eric Schouten, head of the aviation security group Dyami, noted that most affected countries support Ukraine in its war against Russia. He said the pattern fits a hybrid warfare scenario where attacks target multiple fronts, including railways, supermarkets, blood banks, energy, internet, and aviation. In Bulgaria, fighter jets escorted three airliners to the ground. Ryanair flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia as planned, while a London to Sofia service diverted to Plovdiv.
