Plane lands in Sofia after bomb threat, no explosives found
A passenger plane landed in Sofia and was searched by anti-terrorism units after a bomb threat sent by email; no explosives were found, officials said.
A passenger plane landed in Sofia on Tuesday after a bomb threat sent by email, and anti-terrorism units searched the aircraft for explosives, Bulgarian authorities said. None were found.
Reports differed on the flight's origin: Greek broadcaster ERT News and Albanian outlet Gazeta Express said the plane had flown from Israel, while Bulgarian outlet 24 Chasa reported it had come from Bergamo, Italy. The airline and flight number were not disclosed.
Acting interior ministry general secretary Lyubomir Nikolov said the plane was inspected by the Specialised Anti-Terrorism Unit for possible explosive devices, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. He said authorities were still trying to identify who had sent the threat.
Nikolov said earlier bomb threats that day had also targeted other institutions and a plane linked to Sofia airport. In previous similar cases, he said, the emails had come from IP addresses located in other European countries.
Hoaxers were increasingly targeting airlines directly, Nikolov said, forcing changes to flight routes, though there was no indication of any actual terrorist plot. Airport security measures had been increased as a precaution, he said.
The Sofia scare was one of several bomb threats reported against flights linked to Europe that day. A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia had been diverted to Budapest a day earlier, escorted by a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet after NATO's duty service issued an Alpha alert. Separate threats the same morning diverted a London-Warsaw flight to Modlin airport, where no suspicious items were found, and prompted checks on a Copenhagen-Warsaw flight at Chopin airport, Polish broadcaster RMF24 and Bulgarian media reported.
None of the threats reported that Tuesday led to a device actually being found, officials in Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary all said.
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What we know
- Official · authorities A plane landed in Sofia on Tuesday after a bomb threat sent by email; no explosives were found after an inspection, authorities said.
- 2+ outlets · ERT News, Gazeta Express +1 Reports differed on the flight's origin: ERT News and Gazeta Express said Israel; 24 Chasa said Bergamo, Italy.
- Official · interior ministry official Lyubomir Nikolov Acting interior ministry official Lyubomir Nikolov said anti-terrorism specialists inspected the plane.
- Official · interior ministry official Lyubomir Nikolov Nikolov said authorities had not yet identified who sent the threat.
- 1 outlet · Bulgarian National Radio The scare came the same day as separate bomb-threat disruptions at Warsaw's two airports and a day after a Wizz Air flight was diverted to Budapest over a similar threat.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Bomb threats against aircraft and other targets in Bulgaria have recurred in recent incidents, with past threatening emails traced to IP addresses in other European countries, Nikolov said, complicating efforts to identify those responsible. He said hoaxers were increasingly targeting airlines directly, adding pressure on security services already handling a wave of similar false alarms across the continent that day.
Sources
Reported by 7 reports from 7 independent outlets in 6 countries.
- 24 Chasa: Самолет от Израел се приземи извънредно в София заради бомбена заплаха
- ERT News: Αεροπλάνο από το Ισραήλ προσγειώθηκε στη Σόφια μετά από απειλή για βόμβα
- Gazeta Express: Alarm për bombë në avionin që fluturonte nga Izraeli, kryhet ulje emergjente në Sofje
- Philenews: Νέο περιστατικό απειλής για βόμβα σε πτήση: Αεροπλάνο από το Ισραήλ προσγειώθηκε στη Σόφια
- APA Azerbaijan: İsraildən uçan təyyarə Sofiya hava limanında təcili eniş edib
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, 2 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What happened in Sofia?
- A plane made an emergency landing after a bomb threat sent by email; no explosives were found following an inspection, authorities said.
- Where did the flight originate?
- Reports differ: Greek and Albanian media said the plane flew from Israel, while Bulgarian outlet 24 Chasa said it came from Bergamo, Italy.
- Was this an isolated incident?
- No. It came the same day as bomb-threat disruptions at two Warsaw airports and a day after a Wizz Air flight was diverted to Budapest over a similar threat.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.