Staff at RTE campus evacuated after bomb threat

Staff at Ireland’s national broadcaster have been evacuated following a bomb threat at its television and radio headquarters in Dublin.

It is understood that other media organisations in Ireland were also sent threats on Friday morning.

The incidents came after bomb threats were sent to airlines across Europe, including one targeting flights from Dublin, over recent days.

The emailed threats to media outlets were received ahead of a week when Ireland will host two major European political summits as part of its six-month presidency of the EU Council.

RTÉ Radio One went off air around 9am and replaced its programme Today With David McCullagh with a pre-recorded programme of music.

RTÉ presenter David McCullagh’s show was affected (Brian Lawless/PA)

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The show returned later in the morning, with McCullagh presenting from a mobile broadcasting truck as gardaí continued to search the RTÉ buildings

Staff including radio and television presenters at the Montrose campus were told to leave the studio buildings after the email was received on Friday morning.

Children being looked after in a creche on site were also evacuated.

McCullagh later told listeners that the threat warned that a bomb would explode within 45 minutes.

Irish police, including the armed response unit, attended the site.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the threat was being taken seriously.

“It is worrying and we take the threat seriously,” Mr Martin told RTÉ Radio One.

“Obviously, because the safety of the Irish public is our first priority, and indeed across Europe.

“Yesterday, there appeared to be coordinated efforts to disrupt air travel and so forth.

“The gardaí, the Defence Forces, cyber and aviation authorities are working to establish who’s behind this, as are their European counterparts. It’s not determined yet whether it’s individuals or a coordinated attack.

“However, we will go after this to identify who’s responsible and to hold them accountable.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin (PA).

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Mr Martin said there would be a “very significant security operation” in place for the European Political Community meeting on Thursday next week and the informal meeting of EU heads of state on Friday.

“We’ve been alive to this risk since before our presidency and our agencies have worked extremely hard on this and we have had meetings even in the last week in preparation for next week,” he said.

“It does highlight, and I would say this to all of our main representative bodies in society, the security stakes are much higher in this period of time than they have been for a long time in Europe.”

He added: “We have the largest number of prime ministers ever at the one time in our country and that does call for a very significant security operation.

“And the gardaí are to be commended on the extraordinary preparation that they’ve put into this, as have our Defence Forces, and both are working very closely together and working with like-minded agencies across Europe, so we’re confident in terms of our capacities and in terms of the preparation we’ve put into this.”

Commenting on Friday’s emailed threats, Mr Martin added: “It just illustrates how relatively simple it can be to cause disruption and to undermine the normal operation of society through unconventional activities of this kind, which are designed to cause disruption, designed to cause fear and anxiety. So we have to remain calm and and very focused on this.”

RTÉ’s mobile broadcast vehicle where RTÉ Radio One started transmitting from outside the broadcaster’s headquarters after staff were evacuated following a bomb threat (Cate McCurry/PA)

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Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government was “alive” to the risks associated with the types of threats received by Irish media outlets on Friday.

“There’s a very serious and evolving situation this morning, and obviously this comes on the back of a number of bomb scares yesterday and in recent days in relation to airlines as well,” he told Cork 96FM.

“So this is evolving in real time. I think it’s fair to say we don’t yet know who is responsible for what’s happening this morning. We don’t yet know whether it’s an individual behind this effort or some form of a co-ordinated effort.

“But what I do want to assure the people of this country is that this is an issue being taken very seriously by the gardaí, by our security forces and our cyber experts.

“So they’re working now on this issue and of course they’ll be liaising as appropriate with European counterparts as well.

“The priority is that people are safe, but we need to work to identify the culprits as well.

“And I want people to know that we’re alive to these risks.”

In a statement on the bomb threat against the national broadcaster, RTÉ said: “RTÉ, along with a range of media organisations, received a threat this morning.

“In line with our security and safety protocols, the campus has been evacuated and some services are affected.

“Gardaí are on site in Donnybrook.”

A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána is aware of a threat made against media organisations here and in Europe.

“An Garda Síochána has been liaising with the Irish media organisations and the threats will be investigated.”