Wednesday 24/Sep/2025 – 02:10 PM
The National Crime Agency in Britain announced the arrest of a man in his 1940s against the backdrop of the cybersecurity, which has been paralyzing the air traffic at Heathrow Airport and several European airports, according to the British Metro newspaper.
Cibrani attack on Europe airports
He was arrested in West Sussex Province on suspicion of violations under the computer abuse law, before being released on a conditional guarantee.
Paul Foster, deputy director of the agency and head of the National Cyber Crime Unit, stressed that the detention is a positive step, stressing that investigations are still in its early stages, and added that electronic crimes are a continuous global threat that causes widespread disturbances in the United Kingdom, and that the agency, in cooperation with its partners locally and internationally, is committed to addressing this risk to protect citizens.
The disturbances included Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports at the end of last week after the arrival systems and climbing to the Collins Airbis aircraft, which provide services to a number of airlines in Europe, were disrupted and delayed dozens of flights, and airlines were forced to conduct registration operations manually, which caused long lines and a state of chaos between travelers.
Experts pointed out that the absence of transparency about the details of the incident suggests that the attack was carried out by electronic criminals or perhaps bodies supported by countries, and a professor of computer science at Sri University, Alan Woodward, explained that the attackers usually seek money in exchange for stopping the disruption of networks, describing what happened that it might be a preliminary test.
Collins Airbis, targeted by the attack, is one of the most prominent international providers for airport operating systems, including registration software and electronic gates, and the last holidays have focused on its system known as Mius used in joint registration offices, luggage delivery kiosks and climbing gates.
Although Europe was the most affected, the turmoil began from the United States after a break in air traffic, which led to the suspension of thousands of flights, causing serial effects that included several airports in North America and Europe.
