Bomb Threat Targeting Australian PM Tied to Banned Chinese Dancers

(MENAFN) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to abandon his official Canberra residence Tuesday after a bomb threat tied to a banned Chinese dance troupe prompted an emergency evacuation, media reported Wednesday.

The threat was directed at organizers of Shen Yun — a performing arts group banned in China and scheduled to stage a series of shows across Australia in the coming months. An email received by the group's local representatives falsely claimed that explosives had been placed near the prime minister's lodge and would be detonated should the performances proceed.

The chilling message left no ambiguity in its intent:

"Large quantities of nitroglycerine explosives have been placed around the Australian Prime Minister's Lodge, located on Adelaide Avenue in the Deakin area of Canberra, Australia," the message read.

"If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the Prime Minister's Lodge will be blown into ruins and blood will flow like a river."

According to media, Shen Yun's local organizers received the threat on Tuesday and immediately forwarded it to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Albanese was swiftly relocated to a secure alternative site for several hours while AFP officers conducted a comprehensive sweep of the premises — ultimately finding nothing suspicious.

"A thorough search of a protection establishment was undertaken, and nothing suspicious was located," the AFP said in an official statement.

Beijing, meanwhile, distanced itself from the threat while seizing the moment to renew its long-standing attacks on the organization. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that China "consistently opposes all forms of violent attacks," before pivoting sharply to condemn the group itself.

"It must be pointed out that the so-called Shen Yun performance is not a normal cultural activity at all, but a political tool used by the Falun Gong organization to spread cult information and amass wealth," Mao Ning said.

"In recent years, the so-called Shen Yun performing arts troupe's systematic abuse, illegal employment, and mind control of its staff have been repeatedly exposed," she added.

Shen Yun is widely affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has faced severe persecution in China since the late 1990s. The group regularly performs internationally to large audiences, drawing consistent condemnation from Beijing.

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