Hungary deploys Gripen fighter jets to escort three passenger aircraft that received false bomb threats this Friday in less than an hour, while Prague airport reported nine fictitious alerts against flights linked to that terminal. Three media outlets also received intimidating messages, including the Irish public broadcaster RTE, which evacuated its offices and suspended its programming.

First modification: 06/11/2026 - 19:21

At least 15 flights in Europe suffered false bomb alerts on Friday, November 6, according to authorities in several European states, including the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, France, Denmark and Portugal, after a new day of disruption to air traffic due to these alarms. The airports of Copenhagen, Warsaw, Lisbon, Venice, Paris and Prague received threats of explosions on board.

Between Monday and Thursday, some 33 flights were affected by the same situation in 16 countries, including places of origin, destinations and forced stopovers, which has forced diversions, emergency landings and security checks to be ordered, although in no case have explosives been found.

While false bomb threats are relatively common, it is unusual for so many to be reported in such a short period of time. The European authorities do not know the emissary of these misleading alerts, which occur in the midst of an escalation of acts of sabotage and hybrid warfare on European soil, which some countries attribute to Russia, within the framework of the war in Ukraine.

"We are constantly under attack... The objective of these operations is to destabilize our societies and generate distrust among our citizens," European Technology Commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Reuters, noting that "very often" it is Russia that is behind these acts.

Iran has also been accused of conspiring to act and even attack Europe, much more so since a failed plan to attack the British Fairford air base, in which Downing Street claimed to have "solid indications" of Iranian participation.

Read alsoIran denies links to frustrated attack on Fairford air base used by the US: this is what we know

An email with one of the threats, sent on Thursday to Rome airport authorities and cited by AP, had as its supposed sender a group that called itself anti-feminist and claimed to target a "feminist regime."

Another European airport received a threat with a similar text, but it is unclear if it came from the same sender. The EFE agency identified the group as a Russian far-right group known as the Male State (EM).

Hungary deploys fighter jets

Fighter jets in Hungary had to escort three passenger planes in less than an hour, after each received bomb threats this Friday, according to Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.

The official explained that NATO had ordered air patrols in the area after receiving the messages. This is the first known maneuver by the military alliance in the context of bomb threats.

At the same time, nine aircraft originating from or destined for Prague's Václav Havel airport were affected, including flights that departed from Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom, and that had planned to land in the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy and the United Kingdom, detailed the spokesperson for the air terminal, Denisa Hejtmánková.

Czech police said security measures were implemented that had a "minimal impact" on the normal operation of the airport.

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Meanwhile, four other bomb threats were issued against aircraft flying over French territory. The planes landed without incident at Paris' Orly airport, where bomb disposal experts inspected them before ruling out the alarm.

Likewise, a Ryanair flight traveling from Lisbon to Rome was also mentioned in a bomb alert, while a Wizz Air flight, covering the Prague-Rome route, was diverted to Venice following a bomb alert and passengers were evacuated after landing.

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, defended this Friday the need to reinforce investment in defense and security to protect civil infrastructure against threats. "When we talk about defense and security spending in a time like this, we are not simply talking about weapons: we are talking about guaranteeing the daily lives of citizens," he stated.

In Copenhagen, the Danish capital, police stressed Friday that, for the second day in a row, they went to the airport "in relation to threats directed at air traffic" as a precautionary measure. According to his assessment, there was no danger to passengers or other people at the airport.

Security threats reach the media

The false bomb alerts began to affect the media this Friday, as evidenced by the messages received by the Bulgarian network Nova TV and the Irish public broadcaster RTE, which evacuated its offices and suspended its programming.

The Irish network replaced live broadcasts with pre-recorded programs. Staff were evacuated for several hours while police and sniffer dogs searched the area and declared it safe.

Both media outlets received an alert entitled "Message to the West", which stated that these threats were the prelude to a series of attacks against means of transport throughout Europe.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threats against RTE and other companies "simply illustrate how relatively easy it can be to cause disruption and undermine the normal functioning of society through unconventional activities of this kind, designed to generate fear and anxiety."

Dublin will host the meetings of the leaders of the European Political Community and the European Union between Thursday, November 12 and Friday, November 13.

On the other hand, the British broadcaster Sky stated in a statement that it also received a "security threat." "We are working closely with authorities to ensure the safety of our staff and operations," he said.

With information from Reuters, AP, EFE and local media.

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