European intelligence services probe possible Russian link to airport bomb threats

European intelligence services are investigating bomb threats received in several cities concerning explosives allegedly planted on aircraft and at airports. Some intelligence officials regard Russia as the most likely organiser of the campaign, but an anonymous source told a newspaper that identifying those responsible is still a long way off.

What happened

On Thursday and Friday, threats were received in several European cities about explosives supposedly placed 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 messages about planted explosives.

What is known about the source

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 the author, were sent from various geographic locations and were written in the recipients' languages. One message was traced to Colombia.

According to one version being examined by the security services, the threats were sent out by activists loyal to the Kremlin or by hacker groups. In any case, it remains unclear what role Russian intelligence services themselves may have played.