Bomb threats target seven flights across Europe

Two Ryanair flights, one originating from Dublin and the other from Lisbon, were searched after landing in Rome following anonymous tips but no explosives were found, sources at the city's Fiumicino airport told the BBC.

The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian air force until landing.

Authorities have also searched planes in Poland, Spain and Bulgaria.

It is unclear if the incidents are connected. While officially there is no link between them, authorities from various countries will be co-operating to assess whether this was a co-ordinated attack, designed to disrupt airspace.

The UK government described today's incidents as "malicious hoax threats".

In a statement it said it had "one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any potential threats, as well as malicious hoax threats, like those we've seen today".

Aviation security expert Paul Mason said bomb threats on passenger planes "don't happen that frequently", which made the latest incidents "unusual".

"It sounds like they've been made in a credible manner across a broad range of airlines," Mason told BBC Radio 5 Live. "That would suggest to me that it's been a very deliberate act by a typical actor rather than a load of coincidental, malicious calls."

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)