Crown Iris Searched in Greece After Bomb Threat to Hull
Off Syros, a specialist diver inspected Crown Iris’s hull after an unidentified person claimed an explosive had been attached; the 1992-built ship was bound for Israel.
At least seven flights and Mano Cruises’ Crown Iris received bomb threats in Europe on Tuesday, disrupting air travel and leading to a search of the cruise ship in Greece. Aircraft searches and initial inspections of the vessel found no explosives.
On the Greek island of Syros, a specialist diver examined the 1992-built, Panama-flagged cruise ship after an unidentified person claimed that an explosive device had been attached to its hull. The vessel was bound for Israel. Greek coast guard specialists were expected to conduct additional checks before Crown Iris could resume its voyage.
Airport closures and a fighter escort
The aviation threats affected two flights each headed to Warsaw, Rome and Sofia, along with one destined for Murcia in Spain. No injuries were reported.
In Poland, a LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport diverted to nearby Modlin Airport, which temporarily suspended operations. LOT said “nothing was found on the aircraft” during the subsequent search.
A separate alert concerned a Scandinavian Airlines flight arriving at Chopin from Copenhagen. Airport staff activated safety procedures and closed one runway after receiving information about a potentially dangerous object aboard that aircraft.
Italy’s air force sent two Eurofighter aircraft after a suspected onboard threat on a Dublin-to-Rome service. The military confirmed that its aircraft had been dispatched to “intercept and escort” the flight to Fiumicino Airport.
That aircraft was one of two Ryanair services to Rome affected by threats. The other, arriving from Lisbon early Tuesday, was the subject of an email alleging that a bomb was aboard. Explosives specialists examined the travelers, crew members and luggage after landing; neither Rome-bound aircraft was found to contain explosives.
Spanish authorities also ruled out explosives aboard a Ryanair service from Manchester after it landed at Murcia Airport. In Bulgaria, counter-terrorism police inspected two aircraft arriving at Sofia from Bergamo and Dublin after both received threats while airborne. Neither search uncovered an explosive device.
Earlier threat forced a diversion to Budapest
On Monday, a separate threat against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia forced the aircraft to divert to Budapest. Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a Facebook post that the Hungarian Air Force scrambled a fighter to intercept the aircraft and accompany it to Liszt Ferenc International Airport, where it landed safely.
