Key points
- Bomb threats were emailed to television stations across Europe on Friday, forcing evacuations at Ireland's RTÉ and Bulgaria's Nova TV; Britain's Sky also said it had received a security threat.
- The emails were titled "Message to the West" and signed with the name Mikhail Andropov, claiming the sender was one of the leaders of the group behind this week's hoax bomb threats against passenger flights.
- RTÉ evacuated its Donnybrook campus in Dublin and replaced programmes with music and a pre-recorded message for up to three hours; Nova TV's Sofia newsroom was evacuated, searched and deemed safe.
- No explosive device has been found at any affected site, and Reuters said it could not establish who sent the emails or whether they came from the same source as the flight threats.
- The threats follow at least 20 bomb scares against flights in four days; Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said security agencies had not yet determined whether the threats were the work of individuals or part of a coordinated attack.
Bomb threats forced television stations across Europe to evacuate staff and suspend programming on Friday, as the wave of hoax threats that has disrupted air travel all week spread to broadcasters. Emails warning "the clock is ticking" were sent to Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ, Britain's Sky and Bulgaria's private station Nova TV, among others, Reuters reported. No explosive device was found at any of the sites.
The key figures
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasters named as receiving threats | RTÉ, Sky, Nova TV | Reuters |
| Minutes the email said remained before detonation | 45 | Email, via Reuters |
| Hours RTÉ programmes were replaced | Up to 3 | Reuters |
| Flights facing bomb threats in four days | At least 20 | The Times |
| Explosive devices found | None reported | Authorities, via Reuters |
Evacuations in Dublin and Sofia
RTÉ evacuated its campus in Donnybrook, Dublin, after an email arrived shortly before 09:00 GMT saying a bomb would go off within 45 minutes, the broadcaster reported. Staff stood outside the campus as programmes were replaced by music and a pre-recorded message, some for as long as three hours, Reuters reported. Newstalk, another Irish radio station, resumed programming at 10:00 GMT after staff were told they could return to the building in central Dublin, its presenter said on air.
In Sofia, police came to the Nova TV newsroom, which was evacuated, checked and deemed safe, Reuters reported. Sky, which is owned by Comcast, said in a statement read on air that it was one of a number of media organisations that had received a security threat, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The emails and the claim
The emails received by Nova TV and RTÉ were headed "Message to the West", Reuters reported. They were signed with the name Mikhail Andropov, with the sender claiming to be one of the leaders of the group responsible for this week's threats against passenger flights. "We want the whole world to know about us, which is why one of our operatives has planted an explosive device in your building," the email said, according to Reuters. "It will detonate in 45 minutes. The clock is ticking."
The purported author shared a surname with Yuri Andropov, a former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the email's title echoed the title of a biography of Andropov, "New Challenge to the West", Reuters reported. The email also claimed the group planned to blow up Europe's "airplanes, cruise ships, subway stations and trains", according to PA Media, as reported by CNN. Reuters said it was not able to establish the identity of the sender, the origin of the emails, or whether they had in fact come from the same source as the threats to any or all of the dozens of flights affected since Tuesday.
A week of threats
Friday's threats to broadcasters followed a wave of bomb threats against passenger flights across Europe this week. At least a dozen flights faced threats on Thursday morning, forcing diversions from Normandy to Bulgaria, and at least 20 flights in four days have faced bomb threats, The Times reported. Read our earlier report on Thursday's wave of flight threats. All of the aircraft threatened on Friday landed safely, and no explosive device has been found in any of the searches, according to authorities in several countries.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said security agencies in Europe had not yet determined whether the threats to air travel and media organisations were being made by individuals or as part of a coordinated attack, Reuters reported. No official group or state has been identified by any European country at this stage, CNN reported. Europe Unfolded will report the outcome of the investigations, and any statement from the broadcasters or the authorities, as they are confirmed.
What happens next
Security teams are continuing to investigate the origin of the threats, and the authorities in several countries are examining whether the emails to broadcasters and the threats to flights came from the same source. Europe Unfolded will report the outcome of the searches, and any statement from the airlines, the broadcasters or the authorities, as they are confirmed.
Updates & corrections
Published 6 November 2026.
No updates or corrections have been made to this article since publication.
Sources
- Reuters, "Bomb threats warning 'the clock is ticking' disrupt TV channels across Europe", 6 November 2026, on the threats to RTÉ, Sky and Nova TV; the evacuations in Dublin and Sofia; the wording and signature of the emails; no devices found; and the Irish prime minister's remarks: reuters.com
- CNN, "Wave of anonymous bomb threats in Europe spreads to broadcasters — what's going on?", 6 November 2026, on the RTÉ evacuation; the email's threat against airplanes, cruise ships, subway stations and trains; and that no group or state has been identified: cnn.com
- The Jerusalem Post, "European broadcasters Sky, RTÉ receive bomb threats hours apart", 6 November 2026, on the email arriving shortly before 09:00 GMT; Newstalk resuming programming at 10:00 GMT; and Sky's statement: jpost.com
- Khaleej Times, "'The clock is ticking': Newsroom bomb threats follow escalating European flight hoaxes", 6 November 2026, on the emails being headlined "Message to the West" and all planes threatened on Friday landing safely: khaleejtimes.com
- The Times, "European flights diverted as at least 12 planes face 'bomb threats'", 5 November 2026, on at least 20 flights facing bomb threats in four days: thetimes.com