Family of Irish foreign minister threatened for 2nd time in a week

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Irish authorities launched an investigation after a second online threat in a week was directed at the family of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris, local media reported on Saturday.

The Gardai's Special Detective Unit is carrying out a criminal investigation following a "serious" threat made on social media against one of Harris' family members on Friday, according to RTE News.

The threat, described as "serious and vile," was sent via a platform run by US social media company Meta directly to a close relative who is not a public figure and does not maintain an open social media profile.

Gardai have taken statements from both Harris and the family member involved.

It marks the second such incident this week targeting Harris' family. Earlier, a woman in her thirties was arrested and questioned in connection with threats posted on Instagram.

She was later released without charge pending a file to the director of public prosecutions.

Commenting on the earlier incident, Harris condemned threats against politicians as "unacceptable" and threats towards children as "despicable."

Meta confirmed that it removed the initial threat and stressed that such content is not tolerated on its platforms.