Second wave of bomb threats disrupts at least 25 European flights in one week

A second wave of false bomb threats disrupted at least 25 European commercial flights on November 5, 2026, prompting fighter jet escorts, emergency landings, and full security sweeps across multiple nations. No explosive devices were discovered on any aircraft. The hoaxes coincided with cyberattacks targeting European supermarket fridges and French blood banks, leading security experts to suspect a coordinated hybrid warfare effort. While an anti-feminist group named The Male State claimed responsibility for threats against Rome-bound flights, European and national authorities have activated security sharing mechanisms and launched anti-terrorism investigations to identify the origin of the disruptions.

Overview of European flight bomb threats

• ▪Low-cost carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Finnair, and LOT Polish Airlines had multiple flights targeted by the November 5, 2026 bomb threats
• ▪Bomb threats forced the emergency landing or fighter jet escort of at least 25 European passenger flights
• ▪Threatened aircraft in the November 5, 2026 bomb hoaxes were forced to disembark passengers, undergo complete security sweeps, and re-screen baggage, causing flight delays and crew schedule disruptions
• ▪More than 20 passenger flights across Europe received false bomb threats during the week of November 5, 2026, including at least seven flights targeted on November 3, 2026

Response of security forces and emergency escorts

• ▪An Aer Lingus flight traveling from Dublin to Rome diverted to the Évreux-Fauville military airbase in France on November 5, 2026, following a bomb threat
• ▪Air force fighter jets from Italy, France, and Bulgaria were deployed to escort multiple threatened commercial aircraft to safe landings on November 5, 2026

Threat emails sent by Male State group

• ▪Bogotá Mayor Luis Fernando Galan stated Colombian authorities were investigating whether an official municipal email account was hacked to send the Rome flight threats
• ▪An email sent to Aviapartner regarding two Rome-bound flights was signed by an anti-feminist group calling itself The Male State
• ▪The email sent by The Male State falsely claimed explosive devices were placed on flights from Helsinki and Dublin to Rome to target a feminist regime

Official responses and security investigations

• ▪The Czech National Center against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime launched a specialized investigation into threats targeted at four Prague-bound aircraft
• ▪UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander characterized the repeated flight bomb threats as malicious hoaxes that triggered established emergency security protocols

Attribution to hybrid warfare and foreign actors

• ▪Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described accusations of Russian involvement in the November 5, 2026 European cyberattacks and flight disruptions as absurd and baseless
• ▪European officials have previously accused Russia and Iran of conducting hybrid attacks in Europe, though both governments deny any involvement in these hybrid attacks
• ▪European security officials and analysts noted the flight threats of November 5, 2026 coincided with cyberattacks on European supermarket refrigeration systems and blood banks during the same week