Europe on alert: Bomb threats force evacuation of Irish media outlets as wave of flight warnings across Europe continues
A wave of false bomb threats forced the evacuation of several media outlets in Ireland on Friday and disrupted nearly 30 flights across Europe this week, just as the country prepares to host high-level European Union meetings.
VOZ Media
Several media outlets in Ireland evacuated their employees on Friday after receiving bomb threats via email, amid a campaign of hoaxes that has already affected dozens of commercial flights in Europe.
According to AFP, authorities have not identified those responsible nor confirmed the presence of explosives.
Evacuations in Dublin
Irish police deployed officers, including armed officers, at the headquarters of RTE, the country's public broadcaster, after the network confirmed evacuations following a bomb threat.
Employees at The Irish Independent, the radio stations Newstalk and Today FM, and Virgin Media Television were also evacuated. Newstalk host Claire Byrne explained that staff were ordered to leave the building after a message was received by the newsroom, although they were later allowed to return once it was confirmed that the warning was a hoax.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris described the situation as "serious and evolving." He stated that it is not yet known whether a single individual is behind the threats or if there is a coordinated operation, and he assured that police, security services and cybersecurity experts are investigating the case alongside European authorities.
This is a particularly sensitive time for Ireland, as it will host two days of high-level European Union meetings in Dublin next week. The threats come just as the country is preparing enhanced security measures for those meetings.
Flights on alert
This week, nearly 30 passenger flights in Europe have received false threats. Some aircraft had to make unscheduled landings, and in certain cases were escorted by military fighter jets as a precautionary measure.
Authorities have had to divert flights, inspect aircraft, and activate security protocols, even though no explosive device has been found so far.
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