Radio broadcasters were interrupted and staff at media organisations forced to evacuate their buildings after security alerts on Friday morning.
Staff at RTÉ, Newstalk and Mediahuis, publishers of the Irish Independent, had their work disrupted after receiving an email threat..
The text of the email received by several organisations is understood to have been the same and did not specify a named target.
RTÉ’s premises in Donnybrook was evacuated as a precaution. There was a Garda presence on the campus on Friday morning.
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RTÉ Radio 1’s programming dropped out during Morning Ireland. The scheduled programme Today with David McCullagh, due to start at 9am, was replaced with music and a pre-recorded message.
The newspaper group Mediahuis also evacuated its offices on Talbot Street in Dublin. Staff had returned to their desks by midmorning.
RTÉ radio was also back up and running during the morning, with presenter McCullagh saying he was broadcasting from a “van”, or outside broadcast facility.
Radio station Newstalk, located at Marconi House, was also cleared. Presenter Claire Byrne was conducting an interview on her show when she announced she would have to go off air, saying the station would explain later.
The incidents follow on from bomb threats to airlines across Europe on Thursday.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed they were aware of threats against media stations in Ireland and in Europe. “An Garda Síochána has been liaising with the Irish media organisations and the threats will be investigated.”
In a statement, 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 spokesperson for Mediahuis Ireland said: “Like a number of other media outlets, the Irish Independent received threatening correspondence this morning. Our main offices in Dublin city centre were evacuated for a short time while security checks took place. We wish to thank An Garda Síochána for their assistance.”
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews told The Irish Times the threats were similar to what occurred in Denmark before it hosted the European Political Community (EPC) summit, which starts in Dublin on Thursday, November 12th.
“There’s a vulnerability this week ahead of the EPC, and that seems to be what these threats are for. The pattern is very clear ... the Danes were convinced a state actor was involved.”
He added: “This follows a pattern of hybrid warfare, disinformation and other cyberattacks. It’s a well-trodden pattern that we need to be aware of.
“It’s intended to cause maximum disruption, sow confusion and to undermine confidence in state authorities and news outlets.”
Social Democrats media spokeswoman Sinéad Gibney said: “These threats against our media deserve the strongest condemnation.” She added that she sent her support at “a time where more and more journalists globally are facing violence and intimidation”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed deep concern, adding: “I commend everyone who responded swiftly to ensure people’s safety. These threats are completely unacceptable, and I hope the Garda investigation establishes who is responsible and they face the full rigours of the law.”
Speaking to Oliver Callan on RTÉ radio, journalist Sarah McInerney said she had just finished her radio programme at 9am when she came out to see the newsroom evacuated.
She said the email was addressed to a number of news outlets in the UK, including walesonline.co.uk and the Sunday Mirror, along with the Irish organisations.
She said RTÉ staff were all asked to move to the edge of the Montrose campus, where a heavy Garda presence had assembled.
McInerney and Callan both noted during the interview just before noon that sniffer dogs were currently on the Montrose campus as gardaí continue to search the campus, even though they believe the threat is a hoax.
She said they believe the search will take another couple of hours.
A Government statement on the incidents read: “The threats made this morning against media organisations here are very serious.
“The Gardaí were alerted to these threats and immediately took the precautionary actions that were necessary in co-operation with those who have been targeted.
“It is important to emphasise that the first concern in incidents such as these must be the safety and security of the people who are affected.
“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.
“It is not known yet who is responsible for these threats, whether it is individuals or a centralised or co-ordinated effort. However, these threats come on the heels of the ongoing disruption to aviation around Europe caused by similar threats, and it seems likely that this is a co-ordinated campaign of disruption.
“The Gardaí, working in cooperation with the Defence Forces, and our cyber and aviation authorities, are working to establish who is responsible. The Gardaí and the Defence Forces are in ongoing liaison with their European security counterparts. Every effort will be made to identify those responsible and to hold them to account.
“The main priority, however, is to ensure that people are kept safe, despite the unavoidable and unwelcome disruption that this may cause.
“The Gardaí have been alive to the risk of disruptive threats such as these in the context of planning for EU Presidency events and are exercising the relevant protocols in response.”
Meanwhile, further bomb threats have been made against airlines across Europe on Friday.
French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said four flights were targeted with threats, all landed safely and were inspected.
Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic are also investigating threats to flights.
