14 hours: The gap between the fake bomb threat and the Male State's denial
An extremist group dismissed as dormant for years claims no part in the hoax emails that scrambled Italian air force jets and diverted flights across Europe.
By Rebecca Svoboda ·
The confusion began on Thursday at 07:21 when an email arrived at the offices of Aeroporti di Roma. The message, written in flawless Italian, claimed that fighters from the Male State had planted explosives on two incoming flights. The threat targeted Italy's feminist regime and promised an attack that would be remembered forever. Within hours, the false warning had rippled across the continent, causing flight cancellations and emergency landings.
The Male State, a misogynistic extremist group, denied involvement when contacted by the BBC Russian Service. The response, sent via a Telegram account linked to founder Vladislav Pozdnyakov, mocked the inquiry. The group stated that it had not existed for many years and questioned the logic of asking a dormant entity about a letter signed by someone else. Pozdnyakov, who is believed to live abroad, leads a group banned in Russia in 2021. In some regions, the organization rebranded itself as the Male Legion.
The initial email originated from an address linked to state health services in Bogota, Colombia. It was sent to several individuals and offices at the company managing Rome's airports, including Fiumicino. One of the threatened flights was diverted to France, while another was escorted into Rome by Italian air force jets. The jets had already been scrambled once earlier that week. Investigators found no explosives on either aircraft or on any other plane that reported a threat. A source at the Rome airport company described such warnings as extremely unusual, noting no similar incidents in recent years.
By Friday, the disruption had expanded beyond aviation. Bomb threats were reported against several high-profile Irish media organizations, triggering evacuations. The Irish government characterized the events as a co-ordinated campaign of disruption. One Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice due to a similar scare. A Ryanair flight from Rome to Lisbon also received a threat. At least one of the Friday warnings was delivered by phone rather than email, suggesting multiple methods of communication.
Italy's La Stampa newspaper questioned the denial, asking if the group was acting as the armed wing of the regime. The paper described the ability to attack and deny the attacks as part of a Russian game plan. The group's Telegram channel, dominated by pro-Russian messaging about the war in Ukraine, has posted about tensions in Europe, including recent youth protests. The investigative group Bellingcat, which studied the Male State in 2022, described it as a vocal online booster of the Russian invasion with a clear extremist far-right ideology.
Guido Crosetto, Italy's defence minister, warned of a strategy designed to increase chaos. He stated that he had discussed the hybrid threat to Europe for years. Crosetto referenced recent cyber attacks that raised supermarket fridge temperatures and destroyed large quantities of produce. He noted that various incidents, from refrigerators to the blood supply in France, suggest actors with an interest in fuelling tensions. His goal, he said, is to ensure the country's security.
Investigators across Europe are working to determine if the wave of hoax messages is co-ordinated or the work of copycats. The originating address in Colombia remains a focal point of the inquiry. The Male State's denial has not stopped the flow of reports, with new scares emerging as the week progressed. The group's historical link to Vladislav Pozdnyakov and its current status as a banned entity in Russia add layers of complexity to the investigation.
