Crown Iris Holds 1,537 Aboard in Greece After Bomb Threat

Mano Maritime paused the departure of its cruise ship, the Crown Iris, from the Greek island of Syros on Tuesday after receiving a bomb threat. The vessel, which flies the Panama flag, was scheduled to sail to Haifa with 940 passengers and 597 crew members on board. Greek authorities confirmed that an unidentified caller claimed an explosive device had been fixed to the hull, triggering a security response at the port.

Coast guard personnel, assisted by an explosives detection dog and a private diver, conducted a search of the ship. A special coast guard unit was also deployed to the scene. Vice Adm. Eyal Harel, the head of the Israeli Navy, discussed the incident with officials from the Shin Bet and Mossad. A military source indicated that the situation is being managed in coordination with Greek security teams. Initial checks revealed no explosive device on the vessel.

Coast guard specialists were scheduled to arrive at 9:30 p.m. local time to conduct further inspections before the ship could resume its voyage. Passengers had temporarily disembarked and waited nearby for clearance to board. One passenger told the Israel Hayom news outlet that crew members distributed water and chairs to travelers. Elderly passengers and children waited in the lobby of a nearby hotel to stay warm. "All in all, they’re keeping their cool here," the passenger said. "It seems like someone was bored and decided to scare the port authorities rather than finding something better to do."

The incident followed a series of similar disruptions across Europe earlier on Tuesday. At least seven flights were targeted in a bomb threat hoax, causing delays at various airports. No explosions were found in any of the targeted aircraft. While no country has formally accused another of orchestrating these threats, European officials have recently blamed Russia and Iran for "hybrid attacks" and sabotage. Moscow and Tehran both deny conducting such a campaign.

This week, unidentified hackers also shut down refrigerators and freezers in supermarkets in several European countries. Some experts suggest that hoax bomb threats may fit a pattern of low-cost, deniable disruption efforts. Eric Schouten, head of the aviation security group Dyami, noted that these incidents align with the behavior of Russian state actors. "From railways to the food infrastructure that you see happening with the fridges being hacked and all kinds of other operations, it does fit the narrative of Russian state actors who want to disturb Europe," Schouten said.