New bomb threats target Irish media, more flights

Following days of bomb threats grounding flights across Europe, media institutions in Ireland were added to the list of targets on Friday.

Irish public broadcaster Raidio Teilifis Eirean (RTE) said that its buildings had been evacuated after receiving a bomb threat. Other media organizations were also taking security measures.

The threats come two days before Dublin, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, hosts a high-level meeting with other bloc members.

An RTE reporter said the group that claimed to be behind Friday's bomb threats was the same that had sent threats to airlines earlier in the week.

"We don't yet know whether it's an individual behind this effort, or some form of a co-ordinated effort," Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris told Cork 96FM radio.

He said it was a "serious and evolving situation."

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin called the developments "worrying," but said the Gardai (Irish police) and Defense Forces were looking into who was behind the threats.

He also urged any organization that receives a similar threat to take it seriously and report it to the police so they can have a "picture of what's happening."

"It just illustrates how relatively simple it can be to cause disruption and to undermine the normal operation of society through unconventional activities of this kind, which are designed to cause disruption, designed to cause fear and anxiety," RTE cited Martin as saying.

Asked about any possible connection with the European Union meetings coming up in Dublin, the prime minister, also known as the Taoiseach, said it was important to maintain the ability to let such meetings go ahead.

"We have the largest number of prime ministers ever at the one time in our country, and that does call for very significant security operations."

More than two dozen flights were affected by threats this week, with further incidents reported on Friday.

Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic responded to threats that ultimately proved to be false.

A flight operated by the Romanian carrier Tarom going from Prague to Bucharest received a threat, but landed at its intended destination before officials deemed it false.

Police in Copenhagen said they had been to the airport for the second day in a row "in connection with threats directed at air traffic" but that there had been no danger to passengers or disruption to flights.

While bomb threats are not uncommon, such a wave of threats being made in a short period of time is unusual, especially amid increasing geopolitical tensions with Russia and a wave of hybrid attacks that have brought disruption to Europe.