Bomb threats targeting media organizations and flights caused evacuations and disruptions across Ireland and Europe on Friday (November 6), as authorities investigated what Irish officials called a "serious and evolving situation."

Irish public broadcaster RTÉ evacuated its headquarters in Dublin after receiving a bomb threat by email. Staff at other media outlets, including the Irish Independent, Mediahaus, and offices on Talbot Street in Dublin, were also briefly evacuated while police searched the premises.

The threats extended to media groups in Britain, with UK-based broadcaster Sky receiving a security threat as well. Virgin Media Television in Dublin received the same threat but continued broadcasting after following security protocols. RTÉ switched to pre-recorded programming during the evacuation, but kept some radio shows on air from remote locations.

Director General Kevin Bakhurst of RTÉ said, "An email was sent into RTÉ and other organisations about 8.33am. I received it 8.40, and we had quick conversations. I spoke to the deputy director general, one of my colleagues rang the gardaí. On the basis of the information we had, we decided that we wanted to put the safety of the staff first and evacuate the buildings." He added, "It's a disgraceful attack on the media, on free media."

Irish police deployed sniffer dogs and coordinated with other European security agencies to investigate the threats. In a statement cited by RTÉ, the Irish government called the threats "very serious," and said, "Hoax threats such as these cause fear, distress and disruption to people going about their daily lives and activities; they achieve no positive purpose whatsoever."

The bomb threats came two days before Dublin, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, is set to host a high-level EU meeting. The government said it had prepared for the risk of disruptive threats during the summit.

The same group is believed to have sent bomb threats which disrupted at least 27 flights across Europe on Thursday (November 5) and earlier in the week. Affected airlines included Aer Lingus, Ryanair, and Romanian carrier Tarom, whose Prague-to-Bucharest flight landed safely before officials deemed the threat false. Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic responded to similar threats that were found to be false.

Authorities continue to investigate the incidents as a possible coordinated campaign, and have not yet identified those responsible. Irish officials urged any organization receiving such threats to report them to police immediately so that authorities can respond and track patterns.

Armstrong & Getty