Russia seen as most likely culprit behind European airline bomb hoaxes, FT says
European intelligence agencies are investigating whether this week's coordinated bomb threats against European airlines originated in Russia, the Financial Times reports.
European security agencies are trying to establish whether this week's coordinated bomb threats against European airlines could have originated in Russia, the Financial Times reported, as cited by Digi24. Dozens of European planes were held on the ground after anonymous emails warned of bombs aboard aircraft flying between European cities.
Intelligence officials told the FT that a cross-border investigation between European intelligence and security agencies is under way. They stressed there is still a long way to go before responsibility can be established with certainty, and that attribution may not happen quickly, if at all.
However, some members of the European intelligence community are convinced Russia is the most likely culprit, citing motive, method, precedent and early forensic indications from the threats themselves. One working hypothesis is that the threats were generated by pro-Kremlin activists or hacker groups; even then, it would not be clear what role, if any, Russian intelligence played.
No explosives were found on any of the targeted planes, and no obvious pattern has been identified. Irish media outlets were also targeted on Friday. The FT placed the threats in the context of an intensifying Russian hybrid warfare campaign in Europe aimed at disrupting daily life.