Bomb Threats Disrupt Broadcasters in Ireland, Britain and Bulgaria

The affected stations included Ireland’s RTÉ, Britain’s Sky and Bulgaria’s Nova TV. Police evacuated Nova’s newsroom in Sofia before confirming the area was safe and the station resumed operations. RTÉ staff also returned after a safety check.

Emails to Nova and RTÉ claimed to be from a group linked to recent hoax threats against airlines. One warned of an imminent explosion. The sender signed the message “Mikhail Andropov,” the same name as a former Soviet leader, and suggested further disruptions in Europe. The messages raised questions about possible Russian connections, but no link was confirmed.

The broadcaster threats followed hoax bomb alerts that disrupted flights in several countries, including Serbia and Spain, triggering diversions and security checks. No explosives were found in those incidents either. The new threats came amid broader concerns about hacking scams, including cyberattacks on supermarkets.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said security agencies had not established whether the broadcaster threats were isolated or part of a coordinated attack. He warned that disrupting society could be simple and urged the public to remain calm.