Russian extremist group denies sending hoax bomb threats

The group was banned in Russia in 2021 and Pozdnyakov is now thought to live abroad. It has since renamed itself in some places as "Male Legion".

The initial hoax email, seen by the BBC, was sent on Thursday at 07:21 with the subject title: warning of a threat.

It was addressed to several offices and individuals at Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the airport managing company in Rome, as well as accounts at the city's Fiumicino airport itself. The originating email address seems to be linked to the state health services in Bogota, Colombia.

It's not clear whether other countries' airports or airlines received the same or similar threat. At least one warning made on Friday appears to have come by phone, not email.