The key facts

  • Macron said there is insufficient evidence of foreign powers' involvement
  • He will convene the Defence and Security Council in the coming days
  • The threats affected schools and transport in France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland

Macron: attribution not yet possible

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that, at this point, there are not sufficiently established facts to link the wave of bomb threats that swept across Europe to foreign powers. 'At this stage we cannot say that foreign powers are behind these calls,' he told journalists on the sidelines of the summit of European leaders in Dublin. Macron added that in the coming days he would convene a meeting of the Defence and Security Council and stressed vigilance in the face of an 'epidemic of false bomb reports and threats'.

Scale of the incidents

On Thursday, incidents were recorded in France: a bomb report at the Calais railway station disrupted train traffic, and a threat at a high school in Marseille led to an evacuation; classes resumed after checks found no danger. On Wednesday, a wave of threats against schools swept across Italy — evacuations and checks were required; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said no signs of real danger had been found. Hundreds of schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland also received threats, raising concerns about a possible broader campaign of hybrid threats in Europe.

Investigation and related incidents

On 7 November, the French prosecutor's office opened an investigation into false bomb reports concerning aircraft flying over France, including into possible links with foreign powers. Concern was further heightened by a series of cyberattacks on supermarket cooling systems, but no connection between these incidents has been established.