Russia is suspected of hoax bomb threats that forced British jets into emergency landings across Europe amid 'shadow war' fears
A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 like the aircraft carrying 181 passengers, including Jewish schoolchildren from a London school, that was diverted from its Heathrow-to-Warsaw route after a hoax bomb threat.A locator map of European flight routes, showing the countries affected by Tuesday's bomb threats, including the Ryanair jet from Manchester that landed under guard in Murcia, Spain.
At least eight European flights were grounded by hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, with security experts saying it is "highly likely" Vladimir Putin is responsible as part of a co-ordinated hybrid war campaign against NATO nations. Three British flights were caught up in the chaos, including a LOT Polish Airlines jet from Heathrow packed with Jewish schoolchildren, aged 16 and 17, returning from an Auschwitz and Treblinka Holocaust education trip.
The Heathrow-to-Warsaw flight was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin airport, where 181 passengers were evacuated; no device was found on any of the eight grounded planes.
The bomb threat blitz came alongside a cyber-attack on refrigerators and freezers across seven European countries, with UK meat suppliers forced to destroy produce after temperatures were raised to 55C.
One passenger, Sarah, told BBC Radio: 'The fire engines turned up, the bomb squad turned up and we were asked to evacuate — we weren't told anything during the flight.'
