Cruise ship with nearly 1,500 people on board held at Greek port of Syros after bomb threat

In brief

• A cruise ship with about 1,500 people on board was held in the Greek port of Syros after an anonymous bomb threat.
• A first inspection found no suspicious objects, and passengers remained on the island while the vessel was searched.
• Similar alarms on the same day forced several flights to divert or land emergency, including flights bound for Warsaw.

Ship held in port

The Israeli-operated cruise liner Crown Iris was checked by Greek authorities in the port of Syros after a message warned of explosives attached to its hull. (На борту почти 1,5 тысячи человек. В Греции проверяют израильский круизный лайнер после сообщения о заминировании – NV) Around 1,500 passengers and crew were on board, and they remained on the island for hours while the vessel was searched. (Kolejny fałszywy alarm bombowy. Pasażerowie utknęli na greckiej wyspie – Wirtualna Polska) (Ponad 1500 osób utknęło w greckim porcie. Wielka ewakuacja po alarmie – Onet)

Search and initial findings

A team of bomb disposal specialists examined the ship. (Круїзний лайнер обшукали в грецькому порту після повідомлення про замінування – Європейська правда) A first inspection found no suspicious objects. The threat was anonymous, and the ship was on its way to Israel when it was stopped. (Seria alarmów bombowych. Ponad 1500 osób zatrzymanych na greckiej wyspie – Rzeczpospolita)

Wider wave of alerts

The Syros incident coincided with a series of bomb alerts across Europe on the same day. Reports from Polish and Israeli outlets described the same pattern of anonymous threats.

Current status

As of the latest reports, passengers were still waiting in Syros, with the ship under inspection. Officials had not announced the reason for the threat or identified the sender.