Spain has issued a warning of "hybrid aggression" and "psychological warfare" after a series of bomb threats targeted flights across Europe. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the wave of threats constituted an attack on European democracy by autocratic forces.
Speaking to Spanish broadcaster RTVE, Albares said: "It is clear that this is no coincidence... [It's an] attempt at hybrid aggression and psychological warfare."
Bomb threats disrupt flights across Europe
Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to emergency landings and, in some cases, military escorts, authorities said. No hazardous or suspicious materials have been found in what a British official called "malicious" hoaxes.
Several similar threats targeted planes earlier this week, prompting searches and diversions, with at least 25 flights targeted, officials said. It was not known whether this week's threats were linked, who sent them, or what they hoped to achieve.
Anti-feminist group linked to threats
An email containing a threat to Rome-bound planes was sent on behalf of a group that described itself as anti-feminist, according to a copy provided by an airport official and reviewed by The Associated Press. An official from another European airport said the threat they received also came from a group calling itself anti-feminist and used some of the same language.
It was not clear if the same group sent the two threats. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share the information.
Cyberattacks on supermarkets
Albares also discussed recent cyberattacks on digital platforms and supermarket fridges, saying, "We will find out" who was behind them. He added: "There are actors in the world who act in this way to weaken Europe."
Supermarkets in several European countries reported this week that their fridges and freezers warmed up after being remotely taken over, resulting in tons of spoilt food at a total cost of millions of euros. Supermarkets in at least half a dozen European countries, including Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Italy and Estonia, reported problems on Monday.
One Swedish supermarket said its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50C. It is a repeat of an earlier incident that struck refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
French cybersecurity investigators blamed problems with outdated remote control modules made by the Danish company Danfoss and the US-based Copeland. Danfoss said most affected systems were older products that no longer received software or security updates, while Copeland identified a vulnerability in discontinued controllers.
