False bomb alerts are causing chaos in European airspace. Crosetto: “Someone wants to stoke tensions”

At least 15 flights across Europe have been the subject of bomb threats today. This is the third wave of bomb threats this week. Low-cost airlines and flights to or from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Italy have been particularly targeted.

Specifically, three of these concern Italian airspace: the Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, which was diverted to Evreux, in France; the Wizz Air flight from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw-Okęcie, which was diverted to Vienna, Austria; and a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome Fiumicino (which landed at Fiumicino Airport escorted by Italian Air Force jets). The other flights include three Ryanair flights (from Madrid to Sofia, from Copenhagen to Sofia and from London Stansted to Sofia), a Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels and a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Vienna, as well as four flights to Prague that have not yet been identified. Wizz Air has confirmed that today’s flight from Milan Malpensa to Bucharest Otopeni was the subject of a bomb threat, but as the aircraft was already approaching its final destination, “it was not necessary to divert the flight and it landed safely at Otopeni Airport”, the airline wrote in a statement.

During the course of the morning, some of the results of the initial investigations into the alerts came in. Finnair has confirmed that the alerts reported on two of its aircraft were false. No explosives were found on board the four aircraft bound for Prague either, following “a threat regarding the placement of an improvised explosive device on board” the aircraft, as confirmed by a police spokesperson to the CTK news agency. At Malpensa and Fiumicino too, the security checks concluded with no findings, after staff, passengers, luggage and the interiors of the aircraft had been searched.

“It seems to me now that every day, from fridges to blood supplies in France, with these false alarms there is someone who has an interest in fuelling tensions; we, on the other hand, have an interest in doing the opposite and ensuring the country’s security,” Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters as he entered the Senate for Question Time, commenting on the bomb alerts of recent days. “It is an ongoing and constant effort involving all sectors of the state; Defence is doing its bit, as are the police and everyone else.” When asked whether a cabinet meeting was planned regarding the bomb alerts in the skies, the minister replied: “I have been discussing the issue of hybrid threats for three or four years. There is no need for a summit today. This is work that has been carried out over recent years and which must continue and be stepped up.” 

As regards Italy, according to information obtained by Adnkronos, it was an email in Italian received at Terminal 3 of Fiumicino Airport that triggered the bomb alert on two flights (one from Helsinki and the other from Dublin, both bound for Rome). The message, with the subject line "segnalazione di una minaccia", is signed by the "combattenti dello Stato Maschile". “You are all accomplices in a criminal conspiracy,” the text reads. “We want to annihilate you for this. Precisely for this reason, at this very moment, explosive devices have been planted on the following flights: AY1761, Helsinki – Italy; EL402, Dublin – Italy. They are heading for your airport. We, the fighters of the Male State, will make our mark on history with our actions today. Your feminist regime will remember this forever. The explosion will take place in 60 minutes. Today, your skies will be red,” the email concludes.

The same modus operandi was also used in the case of Malpensa. An anonymous email, written in Italian and sent to one of the airport’s offices, reported the presence of explosive devices on two aircraft that had landed at the Milan airport: an Aegean Airlines flight from Thessaloniki and a Ryanair flight from Porto. According to information obtained by ANSA from investigative sources, the email specified the flight numbers of the two flights, the airline, their point of origin and their landing times at Malpensa. 

 “The bomb threats on certain flights to and from Italy are causing great concern and confusion, with repercussions for air traffic across Europe,” said Andrea Casu, vice-chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Transport Committee and a member of the Democratic Party. “We call on the government and the national authorities responsible for air traffic safety to provide information and clarification as a matter of urgency, so that we may understand the nature of what is happening and verify the resilience of the national air traffic protection system, which is increasingly integrated with the European one,” he continued. A similar warning has also come from Italia Viva: “A planned hybrid warfare operation is underway to create psychological tension within our societies and put our infrastructure under strain,” commented Senator Enrico Borghi, vice-president of Italia Viva and a member of COPASIR. “It is abundantly clear that the warnings – for which we had called for concerted efforts, a strategy and a dedicated structure – are proving to be true. We need a qualitative leap forward from our democratic institutions at both national and European level."