It is “hard to tell at this early stage” who is responsible for recent threats against Irish media and European airlines, Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has said, but Russia cannot be ruled out.
The past week has seen a series of so-called hybrid threats, including disruption to Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights as well as hoax security alerts at RTÉ and other media organisations.
They came in the run-up to major events in the coming days as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Several Irish media outlets received threats on Friday at the end of a week that saw airlines across parts of Europe also targeted.
Authorities will mount their largest-ever security operation next week when more than 50 world leaders visit Dublin for the European Political Community summit on Thursday, followed by an informal meeting of the EU Council.
Asked if Russia was responsible, McEntee said it was “hard to tell at this early stage” but it could not be ruled out.
She told reporters at the Fine Gael Ardfheis in Cork: “What we do know – and what we have seen over the last number of months – is that more and more hybrid attacks, more and more of these types of activities, are being attributed directly to Russia.
“So, we’re seeing this happen, probably initially more so in the Baltic countries and those closest to Ukraine, where Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, have seen persistent and consistent hybrid attacks, but more recently now, obviously with Germany, where that specific attack was attributed to Russia.”
She added: “I don’t think anybody can rule that (Russia) out at this moment in time, but what our authorities are trying to understand – from our aviation authorities – as well across the EU is whether all of this is interconnected and linked, and then where is it coming directly from?”
Asked if hospitals and schools should expect bomb threats in the coming days, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said such institutions have been targeted elsewhere.
She added: “Every part of our society has to take stock in relation to the threats that exist right across Europe.
“We’ve unfortunately seen that in Ireland.”
Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton told reporters “there have been concerns”, but “there are procedures in place”.
She said: “From the schools’ perspective, there have been concerns in relation to this and our schools have been very proactive.
“I’ve engaged with the Minister for Justice as well in relation to this, to make sure that all safeguards are put in place and we’re protecting all of our citizens and our students as well.” – PA
