Centre lambasts X at meet over hoax bomb threats affecting flights, says 'amounts to abetting crime'

Hoax bomb threats: In response to a spate of hoax bomb threats affecting both domestic and international flights, the Central Government has expressed serious concerns regarding the social media platform X's management of the situation. During a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reprimanded X, suggesting that the platform may be "abetting the crime" by failing to adequately address these threats.

Sources said the Centre's strong remarks were made during discussions that included officials from various airlines and social media giants X and Meta. The Delhi Police have struggled to obtain user IDs and domain information from several accounts linked to the threat messages, which have emerged over the past eight days. Approximately 90 flights from airlines such as Akasa, Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara have been impacted, prompting serious security concerns.

The Delhi Police have initiated eight FIRs concerning these bomb threats, with investigations currently underway. Reports suggest that the threat messages were disseminated via anonymous posts on X, which have since been suspended by the authorities. Notable accounts identified in connection with these threats include @adamlanza111, @psychotichuman, and @schizobomer777.

According to a senior police official, the first bomb threat was recorded on October 16, targeting a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight. It is believed that the individual behind the threats utilised a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or dark web browser to create multiple accounts on X for posting the messages.

In light of these developments, the government is considering legislative measures to address bomb threats directed at airlines, including potential inclusion of offenders on a no-fly list.