RTÉ and other Irish media evacuated after bomb threat email

Summarised from 5 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 13:00 · Archive

RTÉ's Dublin headquarters and other Irish media organisations were evacuated on Friday after receiving emails threatening bomb attacks.

RTÉ, Ireland's national public broadcaster, evacuated its television and radio headquarters at the Montrose campus in Dublin on Friday morning after receiving a bomb threat via email. The threat warned that a bomb would explode within 45 minutes of the email being received. Staff including presenters and production crews were instructed to leave the building. Children in a creche on the RTÉ site were also evacuated. Irish police, including the armed response unit, attended the scene and began searches of the buildings.

Other media organisations in Ireland also received threats on the same morning. Staff at Newstalk and Mediahuis, both based in Dublin, were evacuated from their offices. Gardaí said they were "aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe" and that they were liaising with affected Irish media organisations.

RTÉ Radio One's morning programme, Today With David McCullagh, went off air around 9am and was replaced with pre-recorded music as a precautionary measure. The show later returned to air with McCullagh broadcasting from the station's mobile broadcast vehicle while police continued to search the newsrooms and studios. McCullagh told listeners that the broadcaster had received the threatening email and that any employer receiving such a threat had to take it seriously.

The threats to media outlets followed a series of bomb threats sent to airlines across Europe, including Aer Lingus flights from Dublin, over the preceding days. The timing is significant as Dublin is currently holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council and is scheduled to host a high-level meeting with other EU leaders the following week.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the threat was being taken seriously and described it as "worrying". He told RTÉ Radio One that gardaí, the Defence Forces, cyber and aviation authorities were working to establish who was behind the threats, as were their European counterparts. He said it was not yet determined whether the threats came from individuals or represented a coordinated attack. Martin urged any organisation receiving a similar threat to report it to police so authorities could understand the full scope of the situation.

How it is being reported

• Broadcaster Sky receives security threat - hours after Irish broadcaster evacuated and flights hit by bomb scaresBritish broadcaster Sky said on Friday it has received a security threat, hours after Irish broadcaster RTE evacuated its building following a bomb threat, and as a wave of bomb threats have affected European flights this week.The Independent · 6 Nov, 13:08
• New bomb threats target Irish media, more flightsNewsrooms have been evacuated across Ireland after another wave of bomb threats. Dublin is hosting a high-level EU meeting in several days.DW News · 6 Nov, 12:48
• Ireland on alert as national broadcaster evacuated over bomb threatA show was pulled off air and music was instead heard playing on loopIndependent World · 6 Nov, 11:28
• Staff at RTE campus evacuated after bomb threatIt comes after bomb threats were sent to airlines, including an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin, over recent days.Evening Standard · 6 Nov, 11:10
• RTÉ studios in Dublin evacuated after bomb threat as emergency services swarm the sceneStaff have been evacuated from the RTÉ studios in Donnybrook, Dublin, after a bomb threat was sent to the broadcaster this morning, triggering a large police responseThe Mirror · 6 Nov, 10:24
• RTÉ buildings evacuated after bomb threat emailGardaí say they are "aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe".BBC News · 6 Nov, 10:16

In this story: RTÉ · Newstalk · Mediahuis · Aer Lingus · Dublin · Micheál Martin · David McCullagh

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log