Who is behind the bomb hoaxes hitting flights across Europe?

Authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of those responsible for the recent wave of bomb hoaxes affecting European air travel, though experts suggest there are indications regarding potential culprits, according to The Local Sweden and The Local Spain. While no clear pattern has emerged among the targeted airports and airlines, Channel News Asia reports that a significant number of the affected flights were bound for or departed from Italy. Britain has characterized the latest warnings as a malicious hoax.

In one incident, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the Evreux military base in France. The French prime minister's office stated that fighter jets were ordered to intercept the aircraft because the pilot did not cooperate as expected, while prosecutor Remi Coutin alleged the pilot had refused to land at the military base in favor of a civilian airport. Aer Lingus stated that its pilots fully cooperated with French authorities.

Bulgaria's air force escorted three Ryanair planes traveling from Madrid, Copenhagen, and London toward Sofia. An interior ministry spokesperson noted that the planes were inspected and no explosives were found. One Ryanair flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv Airport, and a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was re-routed to Vienna, according to the airlines. An email sent to multiple addresses for Sofia Airport claimed explosive devices had been placed on three Ryanair flights heading for Bulgaria.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Local Sweden, The Local Spain, 3News, Channel News Asia, IOL — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.