{"text":[[{"start":12.56,"text":"More than 20 flights across Europe were targeted with hoax bomb threats on Thursday, which intelligence leaders said was a campaign of “intimidation” bearing the hallmarks of Russia’s hybrid warfare."}],[{"start":24.072,"text":"London’s Heathrow as well as airports in Rome, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw and Sofia called in anti-terror police to assess and search aircraft after receiving emailed threats of explosive devices hidden on board passenger services."}],[{"start":38.878,"text":"One email claimed to be sent by an extremist Russian group, while another sent to a different airport was traced by security authorities to an email address in Colombia, according to people with knowledge of the incidents."}],[{"start":50.945,"text":"“It is difficult to avoid the impression that it is a co-ordinated activity,” said Giampiero Massolo, Italy’s former director of national intelligence, who added that it was the latest example of so-called hybrid warfare against Europe."}],[{"start":63.84,"text":"Fighter jets were dispatched to escort planes that received warnings in mid-air. Several aircraft were diverted, including one Aer Lingus flight forced to land at the Évreux military air base in France."}],[{"start":75.393,"text":"At least 21 flights were searched by authorities during a day of disruption, affecting airlines including Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, Finnair and Polish airline Lot."}],[{"start":85.84,"text":"Thursday’s incidents — which have still not been formally linked by authorities — follow eight other passenger services that were targeted earlier in the week."}],[{"start":94.08,"text":"Massolo said the attacks were a sophisticated example of “asymmetric threats”, where a small number of actors can cause widespread disruption, such as the cyber attack on supermarket fridges earlier this week."}],[{"start":105.837,"text":"“We live in times of weaponisation and everything can be weaponised,” he told the FT."}],[{"start":110.836,"text":"“Everybody thinks about Russia. Of course we have no proof but the mind goes to their methods,” said Massolo, who sits on the board of Mundys, the owner of Rome’s two airports. “It is intimidation showing that European countries are vulnerable.”"}],[{"start":124,"text":"Security analysts warned airlines to expect more threats in the coming days, adding that the sector faced a co-ordinated effort to disrupt air travel and cause passenger distress across the region."}],[{"start":134.538,"text":"Some airlines have been sharing the threatening emails — often written in the local language of the airport they are targeting — as they seek answers to who is behind Thursday’s incidents, according to several executives."}],[{"start":145.76,"text":"The threats sent to Rome’s Fiumicino airport, which warned of bombs placed on two planes bound for the airport, were signed by the “fighters of the Male State”, an extremist Russian men’s movement known for its far-right, patriarchal ideology and online harassment of women and racial minorities."}],[{"start":163.979,"text":"“We, the fighters of the Male State, will make our mark on history with our actions today,” the email — sent to various companies operating out of Fiumicino — warned. “Your feminist regime will remember this forever. The explosion will occur in 60 minutes. Today, your sky will be red.”"}],[{"start":179.76,"text":"While airlines receive bomb threats from time to time, “I don’t think we’ve seen this [level of co-ordination] before,” said Ben Smith, chief executive of Air France-KLM, on Thursday."}],[{"start":191.397,"text":"He said the airline group — which has yet to see its services targeted — had robust protocols and did not need to make changes, despite this week’s spate of threats. The incidents should not give consumers “any reason to slow down or reduce their travel plans”, he said."}],[{"start":207.76,"text":"“We’re quite confident that we have in place what we need to ensure there’s as minimal or no impact on our operation,” he said. “We’re on the highest level of vigilance at all times.”"}],[{"start":217.12,"text":"Europe’s aviation sector was already on high alert, with several airports having been forced to close in previous months by drone incursions."}],[{"start":226.8,"text":"Multiple flights were diverted on Thursday. An Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome was forced to land at an air base at Évreux in France before being searched, while a Wizz Air service from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna “following a bomb threat received during the flight”, the airline said."}],[{"start":242.96,"text":"A Ryanair flight from Stansted to Sofia in Bulgaria — one of several from the Irish carrier affected during the day — was diverted to nearby Plovdiv. Military jets escorted some services, including a Finnair flight from Helsinki, as it landed in Rome."}],[{"start":256.284,"text":"Several UK airports were also affected. A Ryanair flight from Poznań in Poland was searched after landing at Birmingham airport, while a Jet2 flight from Birmingham to Barcelona was searched before departure following an emailed threat. A plane at Heathrow also received a threat that turned out to be false."}],[{"start":274.64,"text":"When airlines receive any sort of warning, they immediately direct the plane to land at its destination or divert to a safe airport nearby, where specialist police search the plane and its contents. The process can take several hours, causing disruption and distress for passengers. Airlines also alert authorities, who work to trace the origins of the threat."}],[{"start":296.08,"text":"While hoax calls do occur, security analysts said this week that the pattern of so many threats received hours apart indicated a co-ordinated effort."}],[{"start":304.496,"text":"The frequency of threats “suggests a link, either to an individual or a campaign by a group, rather than a series of isolated copycat incidents”, said Matt Borie, who runs Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security group."}],[{"start":317.89,"text":"“The lack of clear target state, airline or route indicates that general disruption to aviation operations is the aim.”"}],[{"start":326.96,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793927433_3437.mp3"}