‘We will go after this’: Taoiseach vows to identify those behind bomb threats on media outlets

LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has pledged to identify and hold accountable those responsible for bomb threats that have disrupted Irish broadcasters and European air travel.

Speaking to David McCullagh on RTÉ Radio shortly after RTÉ staff were evacuated this morning, Martin described the disruption as “worrying” and said public safety was the government’s first priority.

Buildings at RTÉ’s Montrose campus, the Irish Independent’s Dublin offices and Marconi House, which houses Newstalk and Today FM, were evacuated this morning after threats were received.

“We will go after this to identify who’s responsible and to hold them accountable,” Martin told McCullagh over the phone.

David McCullagh pictured speaking to Micheál Martin from RTÉ's mobile studio. RTÉ Radio

“And we have very skilled experts now working to identify those responsible for this.”

Martin said it was not yet known whether individuals or a coordinated operation were responsible.

Asked whether Russia was behind the threats, he declined to speculate, saying he would receive a more comprehensive security briefing later today.

“I think that is a matter for experts to assess,” Martin said.

Later, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said in a statement that he has been briefed on the circumstances surrounding the threats made this morning.

He said they are being taken “extremely seriously” and are now the subject of a garda investigation.

“Threats of this nature are completely unacceptable and every effort will be made to identify those responsible.”

O’Callaghan warned that Europe is increasingly becoming the target of different forms of hybrid threats, which are “evolving in complexity and sophistication”. It is important to strengthen EU cooperation and coordination to fight against these threats, he said.

High stakes ahead of EU meetings

The incidents come ahead of next week’s European Political Community summit in Dublin, which will bring 55 heads of state to Ireland.

“The security stakes are much higher in this period of time than they have been for a long time in Europe,” Martin said.

He said security agencies had been preparing for such risks since before Ireland’s EU presidency and were working closely with their European counterparts.

Martin urged anyone receiving a threat to take it seriously and report it to gardaí, while appealing for calm.

Speaking in Cork ahead of his party’s Ard Fheis, Tanaiste Simon Harris said the hoax bomb threats this morning were ‘very concerning’. https://t.co/neg6PHBd7O

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Tánaiste Simon Harris meanwhile said the government has been assured by Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly that the security plans he has in place to oversee the major EU events are to “his satisfaction”.

Harris added that he is confident the EU events will go ahead despite a nationwide industrial strike planned for next Thursday and remarked that there is a “significant” period of time between today and next Thursday.

‘We are not immune’

In a statement this morning, the government said that “it seems likely that this is a coordinated campaign of disruption”, although it remained unknown who was responsible.

“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 said.

“Every effort will be made to identify those responsible and to hold them to account.”

The government said gardaí and the Defence Forces were liaising with European security counterparts, adding: “The main priority, however, is to ensure that people are kept safe, despite the unavoidable and unwelcome disruption that this may cause.”

Gardaí said they were aware of threats against media organisations “here and in Europe” and were liaising with Irish outlets.

RTÉ Radio 1 and Newstalk temporarily interrupted their normal programming. Both subsequently resumed broadcasting, with David McCullagh returning from RTÉ’s mobile roadcaster studio.

Speaking to reporters in Cork, Harris remarked that “no matter how sophisticated your defence and security systems is, if somebody chooses to send an email threatening a bomb at a site, that’s obviously going to cause significant disruption”. 

He added that there was “no indication available that the gardaí or others did anything other than handle this situation well”.

Tánaiste Simon Harris Alamy Stock Photo

The threats follow bomb alerts affecting at least 27 European flights on Thursday, including an Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome that was diverted to a French military air base. All affected flights landed safely and no bombs were found.

Reflecting more widely on these threats, Harris said: “We’re living in a world where hybrid threats, cyber threats, cyber attacks, hybrid attacks, and a more volatile security environment is the reality”.

He said Ireland “needs to move beyond thinking that this country is immune to that”.

“I don’t know who is responsible for today’s activities,” said Harris, “but more broadly, what I do know is that people who wish bad on Europe don’t take out the map and say which country necessarily.

“They look at this part of the world to see how they can cause disruption, so we’re not immune from this.

“We are increasing our money, our investment in terms of defence, defence capabilities, record numbers of gardaí.

“I can certainly tell you, though we don’t discuss it publicly in detail, the level of coordination across government and across the state in terms of security is at a much more advanced level than I’ve ever seen it.”