Staff at several media organisations in Ireland were evacuated on Friday, November 6, following bomb threats received through email, prompting police investigations and temporary disruption to broadcasting operations.
Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ evacuated staff from its Donnybrook campus in Dublin after receiving a threatening email. Offices of the Irish Independent publisher Mediahuis were also evacuated as a precaution. Staff at Newstalk and Today FM, which operate from Marconi House in Dublin, were similarly affected.
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Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Several Irish media organisations received bomb threats by email on November 6.
RTÉ evacuated its Donnybrook campus in Dublin.
The Irish Independent, Newstalk and Today FM also evacuated staff.
Virgin Media Television received a threat but continued broadcasting without evacuation.
Police conducted searches and subsequently declared the affected premises safe.
European aviation authorities reported 14 affected flights on November 5 and seven on November 3.
The threats were received at approximately 8:33 a.m. local time. Police officers from An Garda Síochána, including members of the Armed Response Unit, attended the RTÉ premises and conducted searches with sniffer dogs.
Virgin Media Television also received a security threat email but did not evacuate its premises. The broadcaster followed its security procedures, continued its live programming and remained in contact with police.
RTÉ temporarily changed its broadcasting arrangements while security checks were underway. The affected premises were subsequently declared safe following police searches.
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Why This Matters
The incidents raised concerns about the security of media organisations and commercial aviation across Europe. Threats against newsrooms can disrupt broadcasting and newspaper operations, while repeated aviation alerts can cause flight diversions, delays and additional security measures.
The Irish police service confirmed that it was liaising with media organisations and that the threats would be investigated. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the incidents as worrying and said authorities were working to establish who was responsible.
The threats came amid a series of bomb alerts targeting commercial flights across Europe. According to European aviation authorities, 14 flights were affected by bomb threats on Thursday, November 5, while seven had been targeted on Tuesday.
Further threats were reported on Friday, November 6. These included alerts involving flights operating through Prague and other European airports. A Ryanair flight travelling from Lisbon to Rome was also among the services targeted.
No explosives were found in the aircraft inspected in connection with the reported aviation threats. Authorities continued investigating the incidents and had not established whether all the threats originated from the same source.
The Irish government said it was possible that the threats against media organisations and the aviation sector were part of a coordinated campaign of disruption, but the identity of those responsible remained unknown.
