Series of bomb threats target multiple European flights:Italy scrambles fighter jets, Poland shuts airport; all alerts turn out to be false

Several aircraft in different European countries received bomb threats on Tuesday. In response, Italy sent Air Force aircraft to escort two planes to safe airports, while an airport in Poland had to be temporarily closed. A plane was also searched in Spain. However, investigations found that all the threats were false. No explosives were found on any aircraft, and no one was killed. The threats caused temporary chaos at airports in Italy, Poland and Spain. The aircraft targeted by the threats included flights operated by Ryanair, Poland’s LOT and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). None of the aircraft had to make an emergency landing. Bomb threat sent by email in Italy A Ryanair flight travelling from Lisbon to Rome received an email on Tuesday morning stating that there was a bomb on board. The aircraft was then landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. The police bomb disposal squad searched the passengers, crew and luggage, but found nothing. A second Ryanair flight travelling from Dublin to Rome received a similar threat. The Italian Air Force escorted the aircraft to Fiumicino Airport. No explosives were found during the search there either. Flight diverted in Poland, airport remained closed A LOT Airlines flight travelling from London to Warsaw received a bomb threat in Poland. The aircraft was then landed at Modlin Airport instead of Warsaw’s main airport. The airport had to remain closed for some time for the search. Nothing was found inside the aircraft. After the search, the passengers were taken by bus to Warsaw Airport. Meanwhile, a report was received of a suspicious item on an SAS Airlines flight travelling from Copenhagen to Warsaw. The passengers were searched after the aircraft landed, but nothing suspicious was found. Aircraft with 121 passengers searched in Spain A Ryanair flight from Manchester that arrived at Spain’s Murcia Airport also received a bomb threat. There were 121 people on board, including the crew. Officials searched the passengers and crew. The aircraft was also searched, but no explosives were found. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s representative in the Murcia region, shared the information on social media. Several false threats reported since August 3 November: At least four aircraft received bomb threats in Europe on the same day. A day earlier, a Wizz Air flight travelling from London to Sofia had also been diverted to Budapest. No explosives were found during the investigation. 10 September: An IndiGo flight travelling from Lucknow to Dammam was diverted to Ahmedabad after receiving a bomb threat. The aircraft was searched after tissues bearing the word “bomb” were found in its toilet. 31 August: A report was received that the word “bomb” had been written on a tissue aboard an Air India Express flight travelling from Dammam to Delhi. The investigation found nothing suspicious. 26 August: An IndiGo flight travelling from Lucknow to Bengaluru had also received a bomb threat. The threat later proved to be false. ​