Europe Bomb Threats Target Newsrooms as RTE Evacuates Dublin Headquarters

On Friday, November 6, 2026, the wave of hoax bomb threats sweeping across Europe moved from the skies into television newsrooms. Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE evacuated its Dublin headquarters after an emailed threat warned that a bomb would explode in 45 minutes. Britain’s Sky and Bulgaria’s Nova TV received similar threats on the same day. RTE replaced live programmes with music and a pre-recorded message for up to three hours while police searched the building. No bombs were found at any of the affected sites. The emails were signed with the name Mikhail Andropov and claimed a link to the group behind this week’s wave of hoax threats against passenger flights. Officials say it is still too early to know whether one person, one group, or several unconnected senders are behind the threats, and no state or group has been blamed.

Quick Facts

What Happened at RTE in Dublin

The threat reached RTE on Friday morning. An email arrived at the broadcaster’s newsroom at 8:33 a.m. local time, with the subject line MESSAGE TO THE WEST. It warned that a bomb planted inside the building would go off in 45 minutes and added the words “the clock is ticking.” RTE Director General Kevin Bakhurst said he received the message at 8:40 a.m. and ordered the evacuation of buildings on the Donnybrook campus in Dublin.

Irish police, known as the Gardai, moved quickly. Officers, including members of the Armed Response Unit and sniffer dogs, searched the site while staff waited outside. RTE switched to pre-recorded programmes and music to keep something on air while its building was closed. One radio show, Today with David McCullagh, stayed live from an outside broadcasting unit parked near the headquarters.

The search lasted more than three hours. Staff were allowed back only after police completed their sweep and declared the campus safe. No device was found, and no one was hurt.

RTE was not the only Irish media outlet hit. The Irish government said threats also reached Virgin Media, Newstalk, Today FM and the Irish Independent. Staff at the Irish Independent and Newstalk left their offices for a short time as a precaution. Newstalk resumed programming at 10:00 GMT. Virgin Media received the same threat but continued broadcasting without evacuating. The Irish government has described the warnings as hoax threats.

Sky and Nova TV Also Targeted

Hours after RTE cleared its building, Britain’s Sky confirmed that it too had received a security threat. The Comcast-owned broadcaster said in a statement read out by a presenter on Sky News that it had completed a security review and notified the authorities. Sky gave no further details about the message it received, and it did not say whether any of its buildings were evacuated. The timing raised the same question across Europe: are the threats connected, or is someone copying an idea already in the news?

Nova confirmed its email carried the same signature, Mikhail Andropov, and the same claim of a link to this week’s plane hoaxes.

The three broadcasters sit in three different countries, yet the pattern of the threats was the same: an email, a short deadline, and a claim of responsibility tied to the flight threats earlier in the week. That shared pattern is one reason officials are treating the incidents seriously even though every threat so far has turned out to be false. A hoax still forces evacuations, shuts down live television, ties up police and fighter jets, and frightens the public. The cost is real even when the bomb is not.

From Flights to Newsrooms: A Week of Hoaxes

Friday’s newsroom threats did not come out of nowhere. They followed four days of disruption in European aviation. About half a dozen flights were disrupted on Tuesday. The number jumped on Thursday, when more than two dozen flights were targeted. Eurocontrol logged 14 threatened flights on Thursday alone. Some planes were diverted, and some were escorted by fighter jets as a precaution. No explosives were found on any aircraft.

Readers who want the full picture of Thursday’s aviation chaos can read our earlier report: Bomb Threats Disrupt at Least 25 Flights Across Europe in Second Wave This Week. That second wave showed how fast one emailed threat can ripple through aviation, forcing airlines and airports to react as if every warning were real.

On Friday the aviation threats continued alongside the newsroom threats. Flights to Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia were targeted. Three planes were escorted by Hungarian fighter jets, and a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice. Reuters reported that no flights were cancelled or diverted on Friday as a direct result of the threats. Security incidents are moving fast across the region this week, and our coverage of another fast-moving security story, a tanker hit by two projectiles north of Qatar, shows how quickly threats and claims are spreading beyond Europe as well.

The shift from flights to newsrooms is the most worrying development of the week. Planes were the first target, and now the people who report the news have become targets too. When a broadcaster is forced off air, the public loses a trusted source of information at the very moment it needs clear facts. It shows the senders are watching the news cycle and picking targets that create the biggest disruption.

Who Sent the Emails and What We Do Not Know Yet

Reuters reported that it could not confirm the sender or any link to the flight threats. A signature in an email proves nothing on its own.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said European security agencies have not yet determined whether the threats to air travel and media organisations are being made by individuals or as part of a coordinated attack. The European Union said it is too early to say whether the incidents are linked.

One name that surfaced in the threats was the Russian extremist group Male State, which was named in threats sent to Italian airports earlier in the week. That group has denied any link to the threats. No official source has blamed any state or any group, and this article does not either.

The 45-minute warning in Friday’s emails is a deliberate tactic. It gives police and staff almost no time to think, which forces an evacuation first and questions later. That is exactly what happened at RTE, and it is why the disruption was so large even though the threat was empty.

Why Ireland Is on Edge Ahead of Next Week’s Summits

The timing of Friday’s threats is hard to ignore. Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and Dublin is set to host two major EU summits next week, with meetings of the European Political Community and EU leaders. The threats put Irish security services under intense pressure days before the summits.

The Irish government has called the latest incidents a likely coordinated campaign of disruption, pointing to the timing of the media threats and the aviation threats that came just before them. That language stops short of blaming anyone, but it shows that officials in Dublin see a pattern rather than a coincidence. With world leaders about to gather in the city, the government cannot treat any threat lightly, and the public should expect a heavy security presence around the summit venues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was a bomb found at RTE or any other broadcaster?

No. Police searched the RTE campus in Dublin for more than three hours and found nothing. Nova TV in Sofia was also searched and declared safe. No explosives were found at any affected site, and no one was hurt.

Why did RTE go off air for up to three hours?

RTE evacuated its Dublin headquarters after an email warned a bomb would explode in 45 minutes. Live programmes were replaced by music and a pre-recorded message while police searched the building. Staff returned only after the search was complete. One radio show stayed live from an outside broadcasting unit, so RTE never went fully silent.

Are the newsroom threats linked to the flight threats this week?

That is not yet known. The emails to RTE and Nova TV were signed Mikhail Andropov and claimed a link to the group behind the plane hoaxes, but Reuters could not confirm the sender or any link. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said it is not yet known whether the threats come from individuals or a coordinated attack.

What should the public do if a threat targets a place they are in?

Follow evacuation orders immediately and follow the instructions of police and staff, even if the threat later turns out to be a hoax. Do not spread unverified claims on social media. Get updates from trusted broadcasters and official sources.

Sources

• Reuters: Bomb threats warning “the clock is ticking” disrupt TV channels across Europe
• SRN News: Bomb threats warning “the clock is ticking” disrupt TV channels across Europe
• CNN: Wave of anonymous bomb threats in Europe spreads to broadcasters

Final Thoughts

Friday, November 6, 2026 will be remembered as the day Europe’s hoax bomb threat wave jumped from the skies into the newsroom. RTE’s evacuation, Sky’s security review and the Nova TV search show that no part of public life is off limits to whoever is sending these emails. Every threat so far has been empty, and police, airlines and broadcasters have handled each one without panic and without injuries. But the senders are still unknown, and each email costs time, money and public confidence.

Until investigators find who is behind the threats, the best defence is the one Europe has already shown this week: take every warning seriously, check it fast, and tell the public the truth as soon as it is known. RTE did that on Friday, and its staff were back at their desks within hours.

Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.