Bomb Threat Aimed at Australian PM Following Shen Yun Cancelation Warning

A bomb threat targeting the Australian Prime Minister's residence was incited by written threats directed at the Chinese dance company Shen Yun, which is prohibited in China.

Local media reports indicate that emails were sent to the performers, urging them to abort their scheduled shows in Australia to avoid detonations at Anthony Albanese’s official residence in Canberra. These revelations were initially reported by a publication linked to the Falun Gong cultural movement, which, like Shen Yun, is banned in China.

Officials refrained from addressing the emails specifically but confirmed their presence at an ‘alleged security incident’ at the Prime Minister's home on Tuesday, stating no suspicious findings were detected.

For a period of several hours, Albanese was evacuated from his home around 18:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and moved to an alternate secure location, as reported by the police.

According to one of the emails, written in Chinese, a significant amount of nitroglycerin explosives had been planted around the Lodge, the Prime Minister’s official residence. It ominously stated: 'If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the Prime Minister’s Lodge will be reduced to ruins and blood will flow like a river.'

The threats were shared with law enforcement by Shen Yun on Tuesday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police declined to provide comments regarding the threats via email.

In a social media update on Wednesday morning, Albanese expressed gratitude towards the police and those who reached out with supportive messages, sharing a photo of his cavoodle stationed at the entrance of his home. "Toto on alert but all good," he noted.

During a subsequent event on Wednesday, which was disrupted by demonstrators, Albanese reiterated his ongoing calls for a more tempered political atmosphere within the country. He remarked, “It’s just a reminder to take every opportunity to tell people to turn the heat down, we cannot take these matters lightly.”