Army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect package found near RTÉ's main transmission mast at Donnybrook in Dublin early today. Staff were evacuated from the studios and some overnight radio programmes were disrupted.
Shortly before 11pm last night, the Samaritans in Belfast received a recognised code word believed to be used by Loyalist paramilitaries and were warned that two explosive devices had been planted at RTÉ’s Donnybrook studios. The warning said that the devices were due to go off before 1am this morning. Gardaí were contacted by the RUC with this information a short time later and RTÉ staff were evacuated around midnight.
Gardaí and RTÉ security personnel carried out a thorough search and a device was found near under a satellite dish. Army experts were called in and a controlled explosion was carried out shortly before 2.30am but it was found that the package did not contain any explosive device. No other device was found.
RTÉ's overnight staff were allowed to return to work around 3am. Further searches will take place at the Donnybrook complex, during daylight hours, as a precautionary measure.
Radio programming was affected by the scare. A stand-by audio tape was broadcast instead of Val Joyce’s “Late Date” programme. “The Irish Collection” programme, which is broadcast from RTÉ’s Cork studios, resumed at 1.30am. 2FM was off air for approximately one hour, from 1-2am. RTÉ’s classical music station, Lyric FM, is based in Limerick and its schedule was undisrupted.
There was little disruption to the station’s television schedule. On RTÉ One, the news headlines at 12.15 were cancelled. A film, which was scheduled for transmission, went ahead. Network 2 was unaffected. RTÉ Online was also unaffected.
