By Niamh Horan, Keith Kelly And Seoirse Mulgrew

Copyright independent

While no formal arrest was made, gardaí engaged with a passenger.

The ongoing alert was caused after suspicion arose about the contents of a bag which was on the plane. It is understood the passenger’s final destination was the United States.

A source said: “This has been taken very seriously and is going to cause serious disruption for the day now.”

Senior security sources said that the passenger was travelling on a flight from London Heathrow to JFK airport via Dublin Airport.

The incident caused an “extreme security alert” according to security sources, with the airport evacuated for hours this Saturday morning.

In a statement this afternoon, gardaí said: “Earlier this afternoon, Saturday 20th September 2025, An Garda Síochána responded to a report of an item of airline luggage of concern at Dublin Airport.

“As a precaution, Terminal 2, Dublin Airport was evacuated and traffic entering Dublin Airport was restricted.

“An Garda Síochána requested the assistance of the Defence Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team.

“Following a preliminary examination on scene, the piece of luggage was contained and deemed safe for removal from T2 to an alternate location which would not impact on airport operations.

“Dublin Airport, and associated access routes reopened for normal operations.

“The piece of luggage was subject to further examination by the Army EOD team and has been declared safe.

“An Garda Síochána is continuing our enquiries at this time.

“Based on the information available to An Garda Síochána and other relevant stakeholders, this was an appropriate and responsible approach to the situation which was presented.”

There is also concerns currently that the incident was a “coordinated element” in a cyber attack that hit airports across Europe today.

The Terminal 2 building has since received the “all-clear” after being evacuated this afternoon amid a high security alert.

A source said: “This has been taken very seriously and is going to cause serious disruption for the day now.”

The Defence Forces were asked to send the bomb disposal squad to the airport in case they were needed.

A spokesperson for the Airport said flights will resume shortly.

“Update 13:50: Dublin Airport confirms Terminal 2 has received the all-clear. Passengers will shortly re-enter & flights are expected to resume within 30 mins,” they said.

“Some temporary disruption may continue during the remainder of the day – check with your airline for updates.”

Earlier, a spokesperson for the DAA confirmed that Terminal 2 was evacuated as a “precautionary measure”.

“The safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority,” they said.

“Passengers are being directed to designated assembly points and we ask everyone to follow the instructions of airport staff.

“Flight operations may be temporarily impacted, and we advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates.

“We will provide further information as soon as it becomes available. We thank passengers for their patience and cooperation.”

In another statement earlier this afternoon, Dublin Airport said: “@GardaTraffic has advised that traffic restrictions are in place on routes approaching Dublin Airport due to the current evacuation of Terminal 2.

“Separately, a Europe-wide software issue is causing some airlines to use manual check-in/boarding, with minor impact at Dublin & Cork. Contact your airline for the latest info.”

Videos and photos circulating on social media showed droves of passengers being led out of the building.

Gardaí are currently at the scene and said this is an ongoing operation.

“Gardaí are currently at the scene of an incident at Terminal 2 of Dublin Airport,” they said.

“Anyone at the airport should follow staff to assembly points.

“Flight operations may be temporarily impacted.

“Passengers are advised to please check with their airline for updates.

“Vehicle access to both ends of Dublin Airport is currently restricted.”

Digital aviation journalist Shaun’s Aviation posted several videos to his X account detailing the events.

An earlier version of this story stated that a person was arrested. It has since been clarified that while gardaí did engage with a passenger after their bag was highlighted as suspicious, they were not arrested.