RTÉ evacuated its Dublin office after a bomb threat, and Sky received a security threat. More than two dozen flights were affected by threats this week, with no explosives found.
Irish public broadcaster RTÉ evacuated staff from its Dublin office after receiving a bomb threat, and Sky received a security threat hours later. The threats are part of a wave of alerts across Europe that has also targeted airlines.
RTÉ Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch said he and Director General Kevin Bakhurst were informed of a threat and decided to "put staff safety first" and evacuate the broadcaster’s Dublin office. He described the threat as "extremely sinister" and noted it was "very sinister that this happened to a number of media organizations simultaneously."
RTÉ said its email threat came from the same group that has been issuing bomb threats to passenger airlines this week, with the sender naming themselves "Mikhail Andropov." The identity of the sender has not yet been verified.
A Sky spokesperson said: "Sky was one of a number of media organizations that received a security threat." The spokesperson added: "We have carried out a security assessment and reported the matter to the relevant authorities. The safety and security of our colleagues is our primary concern, and we are working closely with authorities to ensure our people and operations remain secure. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
Other Irish newsrooms and Bulgaria’s Nova TV also reported an incident appearing to follow the same pattern.
More than two dozen flights were affected by threats this week, with further incidents reported on Friday. No explosives have been found on the planes that were targeted.
Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic responded to threats that ultimately proved to be false. A flight operated by the Romanian carrier Tarom going from Prague to Bucharest received a threat but landed at its intended destination before officials deemed it false. Police in Copenhagen said they had been to the airport for the second day in a row "in connection with threats directed at air traffic" but that there had been no danger to passengers or disruption to flights.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris told Cork 96FM radio: "We don't yet know whether it's an individual behind this effort, or some form of a co-ordinated effort." He called it a "serious and evolving situation."
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin called the developments "worrying," and said the Gardai and Defense Forces were looking into who was behind the threats. He urged any organization that receives a similar threat to take it seriously and report it to the police.
The threats have disrupted media operations and air travel across Europe while Dublin prepares to host a high-level EU meeting in several days. Irish officials say the situation is serious and evolving, and they are investigating who is behind the threats.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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