The Paris prosecutor's office announced on Saturday the launch of an investigation into false bomb threats targeting aircraft flying over French territory, particularly examining the possibility of foreign powers being behind them.
In response to an inquiry from Agence France-Presse, the prosecutor's office said the investigation aims to identify the senders of emails containing false information suggesting serious destruction and determine whether they may be connected to foreign powers.
Europe experienced a series of false bomb threats on Friday, following dozens of similar alerts this week targeting commercial flights and media institutions in Ireland, prompting security forces to take action.
The alerts across Europe led to planes being rerouted, escorted by fighter jets, evacuated, and inspected.
An Aer Lingus aircraft was rerouted to the city of Évreux after receiving a bomb threat.
The Prime Minister's office announced on Friday that it had received four new alerts concerning planes flying over French territory, noting that bomb disposal teams conducted "security inspections" on them. A well-informed source reported that three of the planes landed at Orly Airport, while the fourth landed in Bordeaux, with all four landing safely.
This comes as European officials have for months denounced an increase in destabilization operations benefiting Russia and Iran, whether through disinformation campaigns, sabotage, cyberattacks, or other means.
