Apple employs 5,000 people at its European headquarters in Lavitts Quay, Hollyhill and Model Farm Road, according to reports, but it’s not yet very clear whether any suspicious packages have been found or not. According to International Business Times, a employee working at the HQ stated that staff were told initially that it was a fire alarm but once they had left the building they were told it was a bomb scare. The employee, who didn’t want to be identified, said there were also sniffer dogs at the scene. A spokesperson for the Irish police force, known as the Garda Siochana, said officers had responded to a security alert Monday morning, and had begun a search of the premises in Holyhill in Cork at 9 a.m. local time (4 a.m. EST) but added that the bomb disposal unit had not been notified. The spokesperson would not comment on the nature of the security alert, adding that investigations were ongoing. A similar incident happened in November 2015 when Microsoft received similar threats. Microsoft’s German headquarters in Munich was evacuated due to bomb threats. Approximately 1,800 employees had to leave the buildings after a bomb threat call was received by local police. As of now, all the staff at Apple’s offices in Cork, Ireland, including its European headquarters, have returned to work following a reported bomb scare.
