Bomb threats have forced several of Ireland’s leading media organizations to evacuate their premises, putting newsrooms across the country on alert.
The evacuations affected Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, as well as the Dublin offices of the Irish Independent newspaper and radio stations NewstalkFM and TodayFM.
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According to information released, the threatening message arrived by email and warned that a bomb would explode within 45 minutes. Staff were instructed to leave their workplaces immediately.
Dozens of employees gathered near RTÉ’s headquarters in Donnybrook. Meanwhile, police officers searched the area with the help of dogs trained to detect explosives.
The evacuations also interrupted several live radio programs. RTÉ temporarily aired prerecorded shows, while Radio 1 continued broadcasting from a newsroom vehicle.
In a later update to listeners, NewstalkFM presenter Claire Byrne said the threat against the radio station had been deemed a hoax and staff had been allowed back into the building.
Gardaí, the Irish police, said they were aware of threats against media organizations both in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. Authorities said they had contacted the affected outlets and would investigate the matter.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin also expressed concern, stressing that the government puts public safety first. He also referred to an earlier wave of hoax bomb threats that affected 21 flights across several European countries on Thursday, including flights operated by Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
The alert also spread to Britain: several hours after media outlets in Ireland were evacuated, broadcaster Sky disclosed that it had received a security threat.
In a statement read by a Sky News presenter, the media group said several media organizations had received threatening messages and that Sky was among them.
After reviewing the situation, Sky said it had notified the relevant authorities. Describing staff safety as its primary concern, the group said it was working closely with the authorities to protect employees and maintain operations.
No further details have been released at this stage about those behind the threats. Authorities are continuing their inquiries to establish the origin of the messages and assess their seriousness.
