Paris Probes Airline Bomb Hoaxes for Possible ‘Foreign Powers’ Link

 The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into false bomb alerts against aircraft flying over France, seeking the email senders and any possible connection to “foreign powers.”

The office confirmed the investigation on Saturday, Nov. 7, in a response to AFP. It named no country, and no explosives have been found in the wider wave of alerts.

Four Planes Over France Receive Alerts on Friday

The French prime minister’s office said four aircraft flying over France received bomb alerts on Friday, Nov. 6. All landed without incident and were inspected by bomb disposal teams.

Three landed at Paris Orly airport and one at Bordeaux, according to a source familiar with the matter cited in the reporting.

The Paris inquiry concerns emails carrying false information intended to make recipients believe an aircraft faced destruction. Investigators are examining a possible foreign link, not announcing a finding of foreign involvement.

Aer Lingus Diversion Prompts a Separate Investigation

An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to Évreux-Fauville air base in Normandy on Thursday, Nov. 5. Fighter jets were involved in the diversion, and the pilot reportedly initially refused to comply.

Évreux prosecutor Rémi Coutin opened a separate investigation into that reported refusal. That inquiry is distinct from the Paris investigation into the hoax emails.

Europe Faces a Wider Wave of Flight Hoaxes

Dozens of flights and a cruise ship have faced false alerts across Europe since about Nov. 2. At least 27 flights were affected on Nov. 5, Reuters reported via CNBC; that is a Europe-wide figure, not a French total.

The disruption has included diversions, fighter escorts, evacuations and searches. Alerts have affected cities including Prague, Sofia, Copenhagen, Rome, Milan, Warsaw, Helsinki, Vienna and Bucharest.

False aviation alerts have also prompted fighter escorts, including when Germany scrambled jets after a false hijack alert in a separate incident in October.

Airlines affected include Ryanair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, Finnair and LOT. Air France chief executive Ben Smith said none of the airline’s flights had been affected.

The U.K. government described the alerts as “malicious hoax threats.” Irish authorities on Friday called them a “probable coordinated campaign.” Neither description establishes who sent the emails.

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