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Defence & Security6 Nov 2026 · about 7 min

Bomb threats in Europe: reports on at least 27 flights. "We will plant a bomb," the threat sent by email - Bomb threats on 27 European flights, low-cost airlines targeted

The brief

At least 27 flights in Europe were connected to bomb alerts, according to the headlines. The central issue was not a confirmed explosion. It was the scale of warnings received across the aviation system. Such reports matter because even a possible threat can force airlines and authorities to interrupt normal operations while they assess safety. The reports describe emails containing the threat, “We will put a bomb.” Low-cost carriers were reportedly in the sights of the warnings. The source also mentions bomb alerts involving aircraft at Malpensa and says that jets were deployed, but it does not identify every flight or describe the outcome of each case. The immediate reality was chaos across European air travel. Italian prosecutors opened an investigation after the Malpensa alerts, while the suspected senders remained unknown. The reports also linked the wave to a group that reportedly claimed responsibility. That claim was reported, not presented as independently proven.

01

What happened to the 27 European flights mentioned in the reports?

At least 27 flights in Europe were connected to bomb alerts, according to the headlines. The central issue was not a confirmed explosion. It was the scale of warnings received across the aviation system. Such reports matter because even a possible threat can force airlines and authorities to interrupt normal operations while they assess safety.

The reports describe emails containing the threat, “We will put a bomb.” Low-cost carriers were reportedly in the sights of the warnings. The source also mentions bomb alerts involving aircraft at Malpensa and says that jets were deployed, but it does not identify every flight or describe the outcome of each case.

The immediate reality was chaos across European air travel. Italian prosecutors opened an investigation after the Malpensa alerts, while the suspected senders remained unknown. The reports also linked the wave to a group that reportedly claimed responsibility. That claim was reported, not presented as independently proven.

02

What is a bomb threat, and why is an emailed threat treated as a serious aviation-security warning?

A bomb threat is a message alleging that an explosive device is, or may be, on an aircraft or at an airport. It does not prove that a bomb exists. However, aviation security treats the warning as potentially serious because the cost of ignoring a genuine threat could be catastrophic. The report describes an email stating, “We will put a bomb.”

The key mechanism is risk assessment. Security and law-enforcement teams examine the message, its target, and the surrounding circumstances. They may coordinate with the airline and airport before deciding whether operations can continue. The supplied reports do not detail the exact checks used in these cases, so individual responses cannot be reconstructed from the text.

The current case shows why digital messages can have physical consequences. A single email can trigger alerts involving aircraft, airports, and passengers, even before investigators know who sent it. The Malpensa warnings led prosecutors to open an investigation for “procurato allarme,” while the reports also described a wider European wave.

03

Which low-cost airlines, airports, or routes were reportedly targeted?

The source gives only a broad target description: low-cost airlines. It does not identify particular carriers, flight numbers, destinations, or European routes. That distinction matters because the reports cover at least 27 flights, but the supplied text does not provide a flight-by-flight account of where they were headed or which airline operated each one.

Malpensa is named directly in the headline about Italy. The report says bomb alerts concerned planes at Malpensa and that the Milan prosecutor’s office opened an investigation. Elsewhere, the headlines refer more generally to flights in Europe and to low-cost airlines. No other airport is specified in the provided material.

The available information therefore supports a limited conclusion. The warnings were described as cross-European and aimed at low-cost aviation, with Malpensa specifically involved. More precise claims about airlines, airports, or routes would require details absent from this source. The reported group link also remains a reported attribution, not a verified list of targets.

04

What happens to a flight, airport, and passengers after a possible bomb threat is received?

After a possible bomb threat, aviation authorities must treat the warning as a safety problem until it can be assessed. A flight may be delayed, diverted, isolated, or inspected, while airport operations can be interrupted. Passengers may face delays, screening, evacuation, or changes to their journey. These are standard possible responses; the supplied article does not say which occurred for every flight.

The key mechanism is precaution. Staff and authorities separate the possible threat from ordinary operations, gather information, and decide whether an aircraft or airport area can safely continue. The reports specifically describe “chaos” and jets in action. They also mention alerts involving planes at Malpensa, but provide no detailed timeline or complete list of security actions.

The wider consequence is network disruption. When one aircraft or airport is being assessed, connected flights and passengers can be affected. In this case, warnings were reported across at least 27 European flights, and Italian prosecutors opened an investigation into the Malpensa alerts. The scale shows how quickly uncertainty can spread through air travel.

05

Why did Italian prosecutors open an investigation for “procurato allarme,” or falsely creating public alarm?

“Procurato allarme” means creating or spreading an alarm that can disturb the public, including through a false emergency warning. Italian prosecutors opened an investigation because bomb alerts involving aircraft at Malpensa had real public and operational consequences. The wording indicates an investigative focus, not a final finding that the messages were false or that anyone was guilty.

The concrete trigger was the reported email threat and the wider wave of alerts. The source says the Malpensa case was investigated by the Milan prosecutor’s office, with unknown suspects. It does not describe a bomb being found, a specific sender being identified, or the precise legal steps taken. Those details should therefore not be assumed.

The investigation matters because authorities must examine both the safety risk and the possible misuse of threats to cause disruption. It may seek to establish who sent the warnings and whether they deliberately created public alarm. Separately, reports linked the wave to Male Legion, or the “Male State” group, which reportedly claimed responsibility.

06

Who are the Male Legion or “Male State” group reportedly linked to the threats, and what does it mean to say a group has claimed responsibility?

The supplied headlines identify Male Legion, also called the “Male State” group, as the alleged group behind the warnings. One headline describes it as the “combattenti dello Stato Maschile,” while another calls it Nazi, racist, and misogynist. These are descriptions in the reports. The text does not provide the group’s history, membership, structure, or independent evidence connecting it to the emails.

To claim responsibility is to publicly or privately assert that a group carried out an action. Here, the reports say the group reportedly claimed the wave of bomb alerts. That is an attribution, not automatic proof. Investigators still need to establish whether the claim is genuine, whether the sender had the ability to issue the messages, and whether the messages caused the reported incidents.

The link therefore remains qualified in the supplied material. Italian prosecutors investigated the Malpensa alerts with suspects unknown, while the broader reporting named Male Legion. Future findings could confirm, weaken, or reject that reported connection. No such finding is included in the source.

07

Why can an unverified threat disrupt an entire aviation network even when no bomb is found?

Aviation networks depend on tightly connected aircraft, airports, crews, and passengers. An unverified threat introduces uncertainty into that system. Authorities cannot simply assume that a message is harmless, because missing a real device could endanger many people. Precaution can therefore interrupt flights even when no bomb is ultimately found. The supplied source does not state that a bomb was found on any flight.

The mechanism is cascading disruption. A warning may require an aircraft or airport area to be assessed, while connected operations wait or change. The reports describe chaos and jets in action, and they link the warnings to at least 27 European flights. They also identify low-cost airlines as reportedly targeted and mention aircraft at Malpensa.

This is why the legal and security responses continue after the immediate alert. Prosecutors in Italy opened a “procurato allarme” investigation, with unknown suspects. Reports also named Male Legion as a group that reportedly claimed responsibility. Until facts are established, the network must manage both safety concerns and the possibility of deliberate false alarms.

This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.

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