RTÉ has given a chilling insight into the details of a bomb threat sent to staff this morning. The email sender claimed to be from the same group that has sent similar threats to airlines this week.
The RTÉ campus in Donnybrook was evacuated this morning with all programming halted after staff received a bomb threat via email.
A similar threat was received by staff of Bauer Media, causing Newstalk to pull the Claire Byrne Show off air while staff of Today FM, Spin and 98FM evacuated.
The Irish Independent building on Talbot Street and Virgin Media in Ballymount, west Dublin, were also evacuated after staff received a threat.
Revealing the nature of the threat, RTÉ presenter Sarah McInerney said an email was sent to staff claiming to be from the group responsible for recent threats against airlines.
Reading excerpts of the email on Radio One, she revealed it read: ‘Very soon we will be blowing up your aeroplanes, cruise ships, subway stations and trains.
‘In the meantime, I recommend taking a vacation by plane while you still have the chance. We want the whole world to know about us, which is why one of our operatives has planted an explosive device in your building. It will detonate in 45 minutes; the clock is ticking.’
Gardai are continuing their search of the newsrooms and studios at the Donnybrook campus, with Liveline presenter Kieran Cuddihy saying they are ‘tearing the place apart’ in search of anything suspicious.
He said: ‘We’re still locked out of RTE studios after that bomb threat. There are scores of gardai up there tearing the place apart, so it’s really considered a credible threat.
‘I suspect that is what we’re going to be talking about when we get on air at 1:45, but I’ll update you if there’s any progress in the meantime. As it stands, there is nobody allowed in that building.’
Meanwhile, Claire Byrne claimed the threat at Newstalk was a hoax after she returned to the air.
‘We were advised that we could return to the building, and that the warning was a hoax. So apologies for the interruption. It was beyond our control,’ she said.
Taoiseach Michael Martin has also vowed to pursue those involved in sending the email, promising to find out who was responsible.
He said: ‘We will go after this to identify who’s responsible and to hold them accountable.’
