Tour of Chinese Dance Group Triggers Bomb Threat Aimed at Australian Prime Minister in Canberra
A bomb threat has been directed at PM Albanese following emails advising Shen Yun performers to cancel their shows in Australia, leading to a police response.
A bomb scare at the Australian prime minister’s residence stemmed from written threats aimed at the Chinese dance and music ensemble Shen Yun, which is prohibited by Beijing.
Local media reports indicate that performers received emails directing them to cancel their forthcoming shows in Australia, with the threat of explosives being detonated at Anthony Albanese’s official residence in Canberra. The allegations initially surfaced in a publication linked to the Falun Gong religious movement, which is prohibited in China and has connections to Shen Yun.
Officials refrained from addressing the emails specifically, merely stating that they responded to an “alleged security incident” at the leader’s residence on Tuesday and that “nothing suspicious was found.”
According to police, Albanese was evacuated from his residence at 18:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and relocated to a secure location for several hours.
One of the emails, composed in Chinese, cautioned that significant amounts of nitroglycerine explosives had been positioned around the Lodge, the Prime Minister’s official residence. It declared, “Should you choose to continue with the performance, the Prime Minister’s Lodge will be reduced to rubble, and blood will cascade like a river.”
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Shen Yun reported the threat to the police on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police chose not to comment when inquired about the email threats.
On Wednesday morning, Albanese expressed gratitude to the police and those who shared “kind messages,” accompanied by a photo of his cavoodle standing guard at the door. “Toto is on alert, but everything is fine,” he stated.
Protesters disrupted an event on Wednesday, prompting Albanese to reiterate his earlier calls for a reduction in the intensity of political discourse in the nation. “I believe it serves as a reminder to seize every chance to advise others to lower the heat; for heaven’s sake, we must not take these matters lightly,” he stated.
