Nearly 30 aircraft in Europe hit by bomb threats; suspicion falls on Russia

European security services are examining possible Russian involvement in a campaign of bomb threats this week that targeted aircraft, airports and media offices in several European countries, the British newspaper the Financial Times reports. If Russia were found to be behind it, the campaign would point to an attempt to disrupt European aviation and media operations.

What happened

On Thursday and Friday, several European cities received messages claiming that explosives had been planted on almost 30 aircraft and at a number of airports. Checks found no dangerous or suspicious items.

On Friday, newsrooms of several European television channels, including several Irish media outlets, also received reports of supposedly planted explosives.

What is known about the senders

One message was sent in the name of a Russian organisation called "Men's State", which denies any connection. Other messages arrived with no indication of authorship, were sent from various geographic locations and were written in the recipients' languages. One message was traced to Colombia.

Some intelligence officials regard Russia as the most likely organiser of the campaign. However, an anonymous source told the newspaper that it is still a long way from establishing who is responsible.

One version being considered by the services is that the threats were sent by Kremlin-loyal activists or hacker groups. It remains unclear what role, if any, Russian special services may have played.