{"text":[[{"start":10.4,"text":"Bomb threats on Friday forced the evacuation of Irish newsrooms and disrupted dozens more European passenger flights, as an email warned that this week’s chaos was “only the beginning”."}],[{"start":21.4,"text":"Irish national broadcaster RTÉ and Newstalk briefly went off air, with RTÉ resuming radio broadcasts from a mobile unit outside its headquarters amid a heavy police presence."}],[{"start":32.76,"text":"The threats came a week before Ireland hosts 50 European leaders, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for two summits. “Right now, we’re preparing a new wave of attacks,” an email sent to media said."}],[{"start":45.6,"text":"Dozens of passenger flights were disrupted this week across Europe, while supermarkets were hit by attacks on fridges and freezers."}],[{"start":52.16,"text":"“This is only the beginning,” the email said. “What happened this week is just a small part of what awaits Europe in the near future . . . very soon, we will be blowing up your airplanes, cruise ships, subway stations and trains.”"}],[{"start":65.96,"text":"The email said that its author was “one of the leaders of the group responsible” for the airline threats."}],[{"start":71.32,"text":"Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it was unclear whether the threats were the work of individuals or a co-ordinated attack, but vowed to “identify who’s responsible and to hold them accountable”. He said he was confident Ireland could secure the summits, which will involve the largest security operation in the country’s history."}],[{"start":88.64,"text":"Ireland was among the countries affected earlier in the week by the fridge and bomb threats emailed to dozens of passenger flights across Europe."}],[{"start":95.96,"text":"Several airlines and airports received threats on Friday, adding to dozens of hoaxes that grounded aircraft this week across the region, in what security experts have called a campaign of “intimidation” intended to disrupt air travel."}],[{"start":108.84,"text":"In a change of tactics on Friday, some airlines declined to give details of the specific flights that had been targeted or even the total number of incidents. Governments in some European nations had urged the media not to publicise hoax threats."}],[{"start":122.12,"text":"Luis Gallego, chief executive of British Airways’ parent company IAG, said on Friday that airlines have to “take seriously” any threat and “comply with the protocols”, even though “nowadays it’s easy to create a threat because with only one email or a phone call you can create a problem”."}],[{"start":138.68,"text":"He added: “We are working closely with the relevant authorities to see the best way to address this.”"}],[{"start":144.24,"text":"Aviation security group Osprey told airlines late on Friday that “further hoax bomb threats remain likely in the near term”, adding that there is a “realistic possibility of an expansion in the target scope of the threats” to other airports and areas."}],[{"start":158.54,"text":"It said disruption from these incidents is likely to reduce as airports become more adept at processing them, though warned it “is possible that a perceived decline in reporting and operational impact will incentivise an escalation in the hoax campaign”."}],[{"start":172.34,"text":"On Friday, Prague airport said it had received threats to nine planes, including flights from the UK, Denmark and Spain, as well as flights departing for the UK, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania and Italy. Czech police said they had received a “threat to place an improvised explosive device on board a number of aircraft arriving at and departing” from the airport."}],[{"start":194.58,"text":"On Friday morning, a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome performed a U-turn and landed in Venice after receiving a bomb threat. Several other planes flying to Venice — including services from Air France, KLM, Iberia, Brussels Airlines and Aegean — were diverted to other Italian airports while the site carried out security checks. Other Wizz Air flights also received threats, but none had to divert, the company said."}],[{"start":218.54,"text":"One of the Prague flights targeted was an easyJet service, the airline said. Another of its planes was also assessed."}],[{"start":226.26,"text":"France said it had received four more bomb threats on Friday, adding that the targeted planes had landed safely. Police in Copenhagen said they were also attending a threat at the airport, though operations were continuing as normal."}],[{"start":239.36,"text":"In Ireland, one senior RTÉ figure said the email was understood to have been sent to 18 media organisations. The broadcaster also has day care facilities on site for employees’ children. RTÉ staff were being allowed back into the building almost four hours after the evacuation once the police declared it a hoax."}],[{"start":257.84,"text":"Irish officials and police have declined to say who could be behind the attacks and have not commented on the email. One official said there was “strong suspicion of Russian involvement” but no confirmation."}],[{"start":269.12,"text":"As well as broadcasters RTÉ and Newstalk, Mediahuis, the publisher of the Irish Independent newspaper, and Virgin Media were among those targeted."}],[{"start":277.88,"text":"“It not a coincidence, in my mind, that this occurs days before Ireland hosts a major summit, hosting over 50 leaders,” said Barry Andrews, an Irish member of the European parliament."}],[{"start":289.24,"text":"“The summit will discuss the security of Europe following the full Russian invasion of Ukraine. Disruption, confusion, distrust are the aims behind such hybrid attacks.”"}],[{"start":304.08,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794018725_2895.mp3"}