Threats against Irish newsrooms prompted evacuations Friday as flight alerts were reported in Portugal, Czechia and Bulgaria, extending a week of disruptions with no identified senders.
An email reached publicly listed media addresses in Ireland and the United Kingdom at 8:33 a.m. Dublin time (GMT) on Nov. 6, RTÉ reported. Staff left the broadcaster’s Dublin headquarters while police searched the building, which officers later declared safe. The Irish Independent briefly evacuated its offices, while Virgin Media Television continued broadcasting.
An Irish government statement reproduced by RTÉ said the media threat appeared likely to be part of a coordinated disruption effort. The government said it had not determined whether individuals or a coordinated group were responsible. Gardaí, the Defence Forces, Ireland’s cyber and aviation authorities, and European counterparts were working to identify those behind the messages. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin told The Associated Press the threats were “designed to cause fear and anxiety.”
Prague Airport spokeswoman Denisa Hejtmánková told AFP that nine flights were targeted there: four arrivals and five departures. Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry reported threats to two flights bound for Sofia; both landed safely. Portugal’s Public Security Police (PSP) said a Ryanair flight scheduled from Lisbon to Rome was targeted. A PSP inspection found no suspicious object or device, and airport operations returned to normal, RTP reported.
The Associated Press reported that EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas cited 11 threats on Nov. 6. The report did not reconcile that figure with the individual flight counts reported by airports and national authorities. AFP reported that some messages used the name “Fighters of the Male State,” but said it could not verify a connection to the Russian far-right movement of that name. France 24 reported that the group denied involvement.
Tzitzikostas said security experts would meet in Brussels next week to discuss responses to the threats.
