Bomb hoaxes grounding 25 planes include bizarre anti-feminist threat to turn the skies red

The bomb hoaxes that affected at least 25 European flights Thursday included bizarre emails claiming to be from an anti-feminist group threatening to “turn the skies red,” according to reports.The “threat notification” emails claiming to be from the so-called “Fighters of the Male State” were made over at least two of the numerous flights grounded Thursday, part of ongoing attacks many leaders have blamed on Russia, according to the BBC.The threats, vowing to target a “feminist regime,” were made over flights to Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is one of the world’s most powerful female leaders.Ominously they threatened to “turn the skies red” with deadly mid-air explosions, the UK broadcaster said.The group proclaimed it wanted to “make [its] mark on history.”An Aer Lingus plane heading to Rome from Dublin was diverted to Evreux, a French military base, after being intercepted following a “suspected bomb threat,” a French Air and Space Force spokesperson told Agence France Presse (AFP).The flight “landed safely,” a rep told the BBC, saying the airline is trying to “reaccommodate customers to their final destination as soon as possible.”Some 151 passengers and six crew members were on the flight that left Dublin at 6:40 a.m.local time.

A Finn Air flight which had taken off from Helsinki, Finland, early Thursday and was bound for the Italian capital also reported a threat but it landed safely in Rome.At least 25 flights from Ireland to Bulgaria were affected by the bomb threats Thursday morning, many getting escorted by military fighter jets as a precaution.Although no country has taken responsibility for the threats, many European officials have accused Russia of masterminding sabotage and “hybrid attacks” against nations supporting Ukraine in the war.

Denmark, Poland and Romania — all affected Thursday — have previously accused Moscow directly, while Germany blamed Russia for an attack in August.Moscow has...