Bomb threats were sent to several prominent Irish media outlets, including RTÉ, Virgin Media TV, the Irish Independent newspaper, and Newstalk radio, on Friday morning. The emails claimed that bombs had been planted in the offices of these media organizations.
Evacuations and disruption of schedules
Three news agencies were evacuated due to these threats, causing disruptions to RTÉ and Newstalk's schedules, while staff at Virgin Media TV continued broadcasting. The Irish police confirmed that no suspicious devices were found.
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An Irish government official stated that these threats have likely increased due to Ireland hosting the presidency of the European Union and the upcoming European Political Community summit in Dublin. He added: "We expected an increase in hybrid threats to Ireland as this summit will be the largest event of this presidency."
Threat patterns across Europe
The Irish government also announced that these threats are likely part of a pattern of threats across Europe that have targeted dozens of airlines this week, including Irish carriers Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Hackers have also targeted supermarket refrigeration systems in at least seven European countries.
Spain's Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stated in an interview that bomb threats against flights could be "an attempt at hybrid attack and psychological warfare." He added: "It cannot be a coincidence that so many similar events occur with the same operational method across Europe."
The CEO of the IAG airline group, Luis Gallego, said: "It is clear that their goal is to create chaos and disruption at various airports." On Friday, fighter jets were scrambled in Hungary due to bomb threats on three passenger flights.
Aviation analysts have warned that no threat should be underestimated. Paul Rutter, an airline captain and vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said: "Although the actual likelihood of a bomb being present is low, we will treat it as if a bomb exists."
The Irish government official also mentioned that the sudden increase in anonymous disruptions to the aviation, supermarket, and media industries appears to be aimed at escalating tensions ahead of Dublin hosting the European Political Community summit next week.
The European Political Community summit, established in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, brings together leaders from 47 countries and representatives from several organizations, including NATO, to discuss strategic issues.
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