Bomb threats target Irish media and European flights

A wave of bomb threats targeted Irish media organizations and European flights on Friday, days before Ireland hosts a European Political Community summit in Dublin.

Media threats

Newsrooms at Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, Virgin Media TV, the Irish Independent newspaper and Newstalk radio received identically worded emails on Friday morning claiming bombs had been left inside their offices. Three of the newsrooms were evacuated, disrupting RTÉ and Newstalk programs, while Virgin staff kept broadcasts running. Police confirmed they found no suspicious devices.

An Irish government official told POLITICO that the threats were almost certainly linked to next week’s European Political Community summit in Dublin. “We have expected a rise in hybrid threats to Ireland because of our hosting of the EU presidency, and the EPC meeting will be by far the biggest set-piece event of that presidency, so one must presume it’s no coincidence that we’re experiencing this spike in hybrid activity now,” the official said.

The Irish government said the threats against media outlets were probably part of a European-wide pattern of threats that have targeted dozens of airlines this week, including Irish carriers Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Hackers also targeted supermarket refrigeration systems in European countries.

“It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralized or coordinated effort,” the Irish government said in a statement. “However, these threats come on the heels of the ongoing disruption to aviation around Europe caused by similar threats, and it seems likely that this is a coordinated campaign of disruption.”

Flight threats

Bomb threats also targeted at least 18 European flights on Friday, after at least 22 the day before, raising concerns that the hoaxes may be part of a coordinated campaign to disrupt air traffic.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Spanish public broadcaster TVE on Friday that the bomb threats affecting flights could be “an attempt at hybrid aggression and war in some psychological way.” He added that “it cannot be a coincidence that so many identical events occur with the same modus operandi throughout Europe.”

Luis Gallego, CEO of airline group IAG, said: “It is clear that what they [the perpetrators] are looking for is to create chaos and disruption in the different airports.”

Fighter jets were scrambled in Hungary on Friday “in response to bomb threats involving three civilian passenger aircraft,” said Hungary’s Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.

Prague Airport said nine flights were targeted by bomb threats on Friday alone, while France reported another four threats against aircraft flying over its territory that day. The Bulgarian government told AFP that two flights bound for Sofia were targeted by bomb threats on Friday.

Aviation professionals have said no threat should be underestimated. “No matter how remote the real possibility after a call that there is a bomb on board, we will treat it as if there is a bomb on board,” said Paul Reuter, an airline captain and vice president of the European Cockpit Association.

Why it matters

The threats come as Ireland prepares to host the European Political Community summit, which brings together the leaders of 47 countries and representatives of several bodies, including NATO, to discuss strategic issues. Irish police Superintendent Liam Geraghty said the event posed an even tougher security challenge than hosting a U.S. presidential visit. “We have not seen a policing and security operation of this scale ever before in Ireland,” Geraghty told reporters.

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Sources

• politico.eu: Wave of bomb threats target Irish media outlets and more European flights – POLITICO
• ft.com: Bomb threats target media and flights as email warns ‘this is only the beginning’
• upi.com: Another wave of bomb threats target flights, news organizations - UPI.com
• amp.dw.com: New bomb threats target Irish media, more flights
• i24news.tv: Irish Media Offices Evacuated As Fresh Bomb Threats Target European Flights - i24NEWS
• timesofisrael.com: Fresh wave of bomb threats targets European flights, Irish media groups | The Times of Israel

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.