Bomb threats to airlines skyrocket

SpiceJet SG116 Aircraft which was travelling from Darbhanga to Mumbai received a bomb threat via social media earlier this month. Pic/Rane Ashish

After a brief lull on Wednesday, airlines in India once again became the target of bomb threats on Thursday, with the total number of reported threats surpassing 80. This marks the highest number of threats issued in a single day over the past 11 days.

Directed at multiple carriers, the threats have sparked widespread concern and heightened security measures across the nation's airports, bringing the total number of threats in the last 11 days to over 270. The number of threats till late evening on Thursday stood at 83.

A historic twist

Today's threats came from an X handle named after Adam Lanza, the gunman behind the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in the United States. Lanza killed 26 people, including 20 children, before taking his own life. He had earlier shot his mother at home. Two others were also injured in the attack.

Who is behind these threats?

Preliminary analysis by central cyber agencies suggests that a group of tech experts is behind the threats. "Although VPNs are being used, initial analysis indicates this is the work of multiple tech-savvy individuals familiar with tracing and tracking processes," a senior government official told mid-day. Despite this, intermediaries have provided "limited support" in tracking the actual IP addresses used.

Government's response

The Union IT Ministry criticized X on Wednesday for allowing bomb hoaxes and urged it to use AI to block bulk bomb-related messages. The government also plans to amend aviation laws to address offences on the ground, not just in flight.