Bomb threats force evacuations at Irish media outlets

• Irish media outlets in Dublin were evacuated after bomb threats were e-mailed to newsrooms, including RTE, the Irish Independent, Newstalk, Today FM and Virgin Media.
• Police were sent to RTE’s headquarters, and the broadcaster said: “RTE buildings have been evacuated following a bomb threat.”
• The threats followed hoax bomb alerts across Europe and came before high-profile European Union meetings in Dublin next week. No one has claimed responsibility.

DUBLIN – Staff at several Irish media organisations were evacuated on Nov 6 after bomb threats were e-mailed to newsrooms in Ireland, according to local media reports.

The threats came after days of hoax bomb alerts across Europe, targeting mostly commercial flights.

On Nov 6, police were deployed to Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE’s headquarters in Dublin, where armed officers were reported at the scene.

“RTE buildings have been evacuated following a bomb threat,” said the broadcaster on its website.

Staff were also evacuated from the offices of the Irish Independent newspaper, Newstalk and Today FM radio stations, and Virgin Media television, according to reports.

The alerts followed a wave of hoax bomb threats targeting nearly 30 passenger flights across Europe on Nov 5, forcing some aircraft to make unscheduled landings and prompting fighter jet deployments.

No responsibility has been established for the threats, which come ahead of high-profile European Union meetings in Dublin next week. AFP