Bomb threat forces plane reported to be from Israel to land in Bulgaria

Bulgarian authorities conducted security screenings on a passenger aircraft at Sofia Airport on Tuesday following an emailed bomb threat, the latest in a series of security alerts affecting flights throughout Europe. The interior ministry's acting secretary-general, Lyubomir Nikolov, confirmed that specialized officers were dispatched to inspect the aircraft for potential explosives.

Initially, Bulgarian National Radio reported the plane as originating from Israel, although later sources identified it as having departed from Bergamo, Italy. The aircraft touched down at the airport around midday and underwent thorough security checks involving both counter-terrorism personnel and border police. A passenger informed Bulgarian news outlet Vesti.bg that the captain informed passengers about the security checks roughly 30 minutes prior to landing.

Passengers were required to exit the plane individually and store their luggage, while officers conducted searches utilizing trained detection dogs. Following the clearance, they were permitted to retrieve their belongings and proceed to the airport terminal. Nikolov explained that authorities had received multiple threatening emails alleging the presence of explosive devices, with airlines increasingly becoming targets of such threats.

Ongoing investigations were underway to identify the source of a similar threat received earlier in the week. Previous cases had traced these threatening emails to internet addresses based in various European nations. Bulgarian airport security measures had been reinforced, although authorities emphasized that there was no concrete evidence pointing to specific terrorist intentions or actions.

The incident came after a bomb scare on Monday involving a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia, which was diverted to Budapest and landed safely after being escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. Wizz Air subsequently declared that security checks yielded no suspicious findings, allowing the aircraft to continue its journey to Bulgaria.

On October 18, an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna also faced a bomb threat and was rerouted to Sofia, with Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets escorting it to safety. Security checks on this flight also found no explosives, enabling it to proceed to Vienna.