Bomb Plot Foiled on Game of Thrones Set

This is a bit of an oddity story, because it actually happened a few months ago, back during Season 5 filming, but the police in Ireland are only letting the story out now.

As most hardcore fans know, the main base of Irish operations for Game of Thrones is in the shipyards that once built the Titanic. Now called “Paint Hall Titanic Studios,” this sound stage complex is located in Belfast, which is in the UK part of Ireland. (Hence Queen Elizabeth II coming to visit last year.) Though the Good Friday (or Belfast) Agreement happened back in 1998, and the IRA agreed as a collective to lay down their weapons in 2005, there are still dissidents in Ireland ten years on, and ones that hold old grudges. And with security at the studios provided by a company that hires ex-RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), that does make it a target.

See what the plan was and how it was foiled, below.

Security documents were made public last week that detailed what happened.

A police source, with knowledge of the Game of Thrones bomb bid, told Sunday Life: “The dissidents initially got word that a number of ex-RUC and army personnel worked at the studios.

“They were even told the exact job in which most of them were employed and the catering unit where they took their lunch and tea at the same time every day.”

The insider claimed the dissidents planned to place a bomb made up of fertiliser with a Semtex booster inside a wheeled bin which would be left next to the catering unit.

But a long-standing agent within the republican gang tipped-off his old RUC handler leading to a massive police counter-operation.

“Security around the Paint Hall was visibly increased and because of this the dissidents never went ahead with the plan,” added our source.

The dissident group behind the Game of Thrones threat is not identified in the security force documents seen by this newspaper.

However the papers do make mention of the “threat to life involving ex-members of the police and security forces working at Game of Thrones”. The document also adds: “It cannot be emphasised enough the importance of this information.”

The article notes that the Game of Thrones Ireland Unit employs thousand of artists and tradesmen from Northern Ireland as part of the production. Undoubtedly, it is they who would have been far more at risk from this plot that the actual stars themselves. Let’s hope increased security is maintained as the show goes into Season 6.

• Published on 03/15/2015 at 9:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:06 PM CDT