France investigates whether foreign actors lurk behind airline bomb scares

French prosecutors have initiated an inquiry into a series of fake bomb threats directed at numerous commercial flights across Europe within the past week, with a particular focus on potential involvement of foreign entities. The investigation seeks to identify the individuals responsible for sending these alarming emails while also exploring any possible connections to foreign powers, according to the Paris prosecutor's office.

Multiple incidents involved flights crossing French airspace. The French government has also pledged to investigate the source of these threats.

Meanwhile, Ireland's government expressed that the hoax bomb claims sent to local media outlets appeared to be part of a "coordinated campaign of disruption" related to the airline threats. No explosives were discovered in any of the reported cases, and those behind the messages remain unidentified. Some emails, signed "fighters of the Male State," have reportedly been linked to a radical misogynist group in Russia, though AFP has not confirmed any association between the two parties.

The group's leader, Vladislav Pozdniakov, has denied any involvement, stating on social media that the "movement does not exist since 2021." European nations are closely monitoring for any Russian interference targeting European economic sectors and daily life, as Moscow's ongoing war against pro-Western Ukraine enters its fifth year.