More than a dozen flights in Europe receive bomb threats that an official calls 'malicious' hoaxes

MILAN (AP) — Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to a slew of emergency landings and military escorts in some cases, authorities said. No hazardous or suspicious materials have been found in what a British official called “malicious" hoaxes.Several similar threats targeted planes earlier this week, prompting searches and diversions.While fake bomb threats are not uncommon, it is unusual to see so many in a single day, causing widespread disruptions. They come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be ramping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe. The continent has experienced a slew of other disruptions recently, such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and mysterious triggers to alert apps.It was not known whether this week's threats were linked — and who was behind them remained murky.An email containing the threat to Rome-bound planes was sent on behalf of a