Bomb threat pulls RTÉ off air mid-broadcast, Dublin evacuation empties national broadcaster and on-site creche, sender claims link to Europe's airline threat wave ahead of record EU summits

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RTÉ Radio One went off air around 9am on Friday after an emailed bomb threat warned that a device would explode within 45 minutes. Staff at the broadcaster's Montrose campus in Dublin — including children in an on-site creche — were evacuated, and presenter David McCullagh later returned to the air from a mobile broadcasting truck while armed gardaí and sniffer dogs searched the buildings.

RTÉ's director-general said it might take hours for staff to return. The Irish Government said other media organisations had also received "very serious" threats on Friday morning: Virgin Media, Newstalk and the Irish Independent were all sent emails. Presenter Sarah McInerney told listeners the sender claimed to belong to the group behind the recent wave of threats against airlines across Europe, including flights from Dublin, and claimed an operative had planted an explosive device in the building.

The timing is the point. Ireland holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council and hosts the European Political Community meeting on Thursday and an informal gathering of EU heads of state on Friday — what Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the largest number of prime ministers ever to come to Ireland at one time. Martin said there had appeared to be co-ordinated efforts to disrupt air travel the day before, that the security stakes in Europe are higher than they have been in a long time, and that a "very significant security operation" would be in place for the summits. Gardaí, the Defence Forces and cyber and aviation authorities are working with European counterparts to identify whoever is responsible; Martin said it is not yet determined whether the threats come from individuals or a co-ordinated attack.

Each emailed threat so far has cost its sender nothing and mobilised armed support units, sniffer dogs, defence forces and cross-border agencies, while pulling a national broadcaster off air for hours. The programme the threat interrupted, Today With David McCullagh, was replaced with pre-recorded music before returning from the truck outside.

For the summit week itself, a representative organisation for rank-and-file garda members has directed a work-to-rule action for the duration of the EU events.