Staff at Ireland’s national broadcaster have returned to their offices after a bomb threat led to the evacuation of its television and radio headquarters in Dublin.
Other media organisations in Ireland were also sent “very serious” threats on Friday morning, the Irish Government said, adding authorities are working to find those responsible.
The incidents came after bomb threats were sent to airlines across Europe, including one targeting flights from Dublin, over recent days.
Gardaí were called to the scene at the Donnybrook campus, and garda sniffer dogs carried out searches of the area, which has now been declared safe.
The emailed threats to media outlets were received ahead of a week when Ireland will host two major European political summits as part of its six-month presidency of the EU Council.
RTÉ Radio One went off air around 9am on Friday and replaced its programme Today With David McCullagh with a pre-recorded programme of music.
The show returned later in the morning, with McCullagh presenting from a mobile broadcasting truck as gardaí continued to search the RTÉ buildings.
Staff including radio and television presenters at the Montrose campus were told to leave the studio buildings after the email was received.
Children being looked after in a creche on site were also evacuated.
RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst joined staff members outside the station’s mobile broadcast vehicle as they awaited updates of the search.
“On the basis of the information we had, we decided that we wanted to put the safety of the staff first and evacuate the buildings,” he said.
“It’s a disgraceful attack on the media, on free media, and unfortunately, probably where it comes from, they don’t really appreciate the importance of free media.”
McCullagh told listeners the threat warned of a bomb which would explode within 45 minutes.
Threats were also sent to Virgin Media, Newstalk and the Irish Independent.
RTÉ presenter Sarah McInerney said the sender of the email claimed to have been part of a group responsible for other recent threats against airlines, and had claimed an operative had planted an explosive device in the building.
Irish police, including the armed response unit and sniffer dogs, attended the site.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said the threats were being taken “very seriously” and are being investigated by gardaí.
“Europe has increasingly become the target of different forms of hybrid attacks, which are evolving in complexity and sophistication,” he said in a statement.
“To counter these threats, it is important to strengthen our co-operation and co-ordination.
“Threats of this nature are completely unacceptable and every effort will be made to identify those responsible.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that having spoken to the Garda Commissioner and “officials involved in security”, he is of the view the emails sent to media organisations in Ireland, the UK, and Europe are part of a Europe-wide co-ordinated approach.
“Yesterday, we had significant threats to airlines and to air travel, and clearly there are elements out there who are anxious to sow as much disruption and create fear and anxiety among people, not just here but across Europe,” he said.
“Gardaí’s first duty is to rigorously investigate, which they will. They are working with international security partners in terms of co-ordinating the investigation, and they are also sharing intelligence and learning from others.
“There are efforts afoot globally, certainly within Europe, to create disruption, sow the seeds of anxiety and fear among populations.”
Speaking at an attestation ceremony for Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) student officers in Belfast, Mr Martin said there would be a significant security operation in place for the EU summits in Dublin next week, but that it is important to note that so far none of the threats have come to fruition.
“So that is an ongoing investigative situation, but the threat hasn’t been materialised, and the same yesterday, so I think we have to keep things in perspective,” he said.
“A lot of preparation has gone into this from a security perspective, we have been very clear for a lot of months out that this is the biggest security and policing operation ever, greater than even the visit of the US president.
“I think it is an important point to make that these these are threats that have not materialised following investigation and so on, and searching and all that entails, but certainly in the context of the big meetings next week, every eventuality would have been, you know, sort of gamed well in advance.”
A Garda work-to-rule action for the duration of the events has been directed by a representative organisation for rank-and-file members, while public sector workers are planning a nationwide strike on Thursday.
Commenting on Friday’s emailed threats, Mr Martin added: “It just illustrates how relatively simple it can be to cause disruption and to undermine the normal operation of society through unconventional activities of this kind, which are designed to cause disruption, designed to cause fear and anxiety. So we have to remain calm and very focused on this.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government is “alive” to the risks associated with the types of threats received by Irish media outlets on Friday.
“There’s a very serious and evolving situation this morning, and obviously this comes on the back of a number of bomb scares yesterday and in recent days in relation to airlines as well,” he told Cork 96FM.
“So this is evolving in real time. I think it’s fair to say we don’t yet know who is responsible for what’s happening this morning. We don’t yet know whether it’s an individual behind this effort or some form of a co-ordinated effort.
“But what I do want to assure the people of this country is that this is an issue being taken very seriously by the gardaí, by our security forces and our cyber experts.
“They’re working now on this issue and of course they’ll be liaising as appropriate with European counterparts as well.
“The priority is that people are safe, but we need to work to identify the culprits as well.
“I want people to know that we’re alive to these risks.”
Presenter Sarah McInerney said that there is a sense of “inevitability” around the threat.
She told reporters at the site: “We’ve seen what’s been happening this week, and when you stop and think about it, surely it was only a matter of time.
“It’s more concern about how do we prevent stuff like this happening again because it’s been so disruptive. We’re doing our best to stay on air. I think the teams everywhere are doing a really good job, but we are so dependent on technology.
“It looks that it was a hoax, and it’ll all be fine. But it’s how do we make ourselves proofed for this in the future?
“That is going to be the next really big question, that we need to address really, really quickly because we can’t be at the behest of people who want to send out an email and cause disruption like this to everybody’s lives. That’s not OK.
“When you’re not prepared for something like this, it’s very hard to keep the show on the road, quite literally.”
Seamus Dooley, the secretary of the National Union of Journalists in Ireland, said the threat was a “deeply disturbing” attack on press freedom.
A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána is aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe.
“An Garda Síochána has been liaising with the Irish media organisations and the threats will be investigated.”
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