Security threat prompting PM evacuation linked to intimidation of Chinese dancers By foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic and national affairs correspondent Jane Norman Topic:Defence and National Security

6h ago 6 hours ago A man wearing a blue suit and glasses, looking pensive. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from the Lodge last night. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)

In short: Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his residence at the Lodge last night due to a bomb threat.

The ABC has confirmed an email was sent to the organisers of a local Shen Yun Chinese dance group falsely claiming that explosives had been placed around the property.

There is no evidence the Chinese embassy or Chinese government was behind the evacuation.

The prime minister was forced to evacuate the Lodge last night due to a bomb threat linked to performances in Australia by a classical Chinese dance and music group that is banned in China.

The Shen Yun group — which has been linked to the Falun Gong spiritual movement — is due to hold several concerts in Australia over the coming month.

But a newspaper linked to Falun Gong has reported that organisers have been sent threatening emails demanding that the shows be cancelled.

The ABC has now confirmed that an email was sent to Shen Yun’s local organisers falsely claiming that explosives had been placed around the prime minister’s residence, and that they would be detonated if the performances by Shen Yun proceeded.

The exterior of the Lodge in Canberra. The Lodge is the prime minister’s official residence in Canberra. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

“Large quantities of nitro-glycerine explosives have been placed around the Australian Prime Minister’s Lodge, located on Adelaide Avenue in the Deakin area of Canberra, Australia,” the message said.

“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.”

The ABC has been told Shen Yun received the threat yesterday, and passed it on to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in the late afternoon.

Shen Yun is due to perform in several Australian cities over the next month, with the first performance set to open at the Gold Coast’s HOTA tonight.

On Monday, the theatre was also evacuated after receiving an “unverified threat” which the ABC understands was linked to the Shen Yun performance.

A police spokesperson said officers attended but found no suspicious items.

Falun Gong in a Sydney park. Falun Gong practitioners in a Sydney park. (ABC: Foreign Correspondent/Background Briefing)

Anthony Albanese was taken to another location for several hours while the AFP conducted a search at the lodge, where they determined there was no threat.

“I think it’s just a reminder to take every opportunity to tell people, ‘Turn the heat down,’” Mr Albanese told an audience in Melbourne.

“We can’t take these things for granted.”

The AFP responded to the “alleged security incident” at 6pm yesterday.

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

“There is no current threat to the community or public safety.”

A spokesperson for the prime minister said: “We trust the AFP to do their jobs and thank them for their work.”

The Lodge is the official residence of the Australian prime minister in Canberra.

An external view of the gates of The Lodge at night, showing a sign and a light. Anthony Albanese was evacuated and taken to another location following the security incident. (ABC News: Lexie Jeuniewic)

Chinese government warns against Shen Yun performances Falun Gong is banned in China and Chinese embassies have repeatedly criticised Shen Yun performances and urged people not to attend concerts by the New York-based group.

In January, the Chinese consulates in Sydney and Melbourne issued statements attacking Falun Gong and Shen Yun.

The Melbourne consulate warned the performance was “a political tool used by the Falun Gong cult under the guise of spreading traditional Chinese culture to promote its cult doctrines and amass wealth”.

A Falun Gong practitioner wears a yellow jumper. Falun Gong practitioners are a familiar sight in cities around the world. (ABC: Foreign Correspondent/Background Briefing)

“Shen Yun’s performances contain hidden political elements and maliciously slander the Chinese government, undoubtedly defaming and distorting Chinese culture, deceiving and fooling the audience, and eroding and harming the mutual understanding between the Chinese and Australian people,” it said.

“Therefore, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne solemnly reminds friends in the consular district to remain vigilant, distinguish truth from falsehood, and stay away from the poison of cults to avoid being deceived and exploited by the Falun Gong cult and the Shen Yun performance.”

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Falun Gong responded by calling the statement a “clear example of transnational repression — the practice of foreign governments reaching beyond their borders to silence, intimidate, or discredit diaspora communities and dissidents”.

“The Chinese government’s decades-long persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China is well-documented by international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,” Falun Gong said.

“The consulate’s statement extends this campaign into Australia.”

It is not the first time that Shen Yun has faced bomb threats.

Last year, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC was evacuated ahead of an opening night performance after receiving an email claiming an explosive device had been placed at the theatre.

Security agencies report threats against federal parliamentarians Police and intelligence agencies have been sounding the alarm about a rise in the number and nature of threats being made against parliamentarians, with ASIO boss Mike Burgess warning that Australians were losing the ability to “converse with civility and debate with respect”.

“Our words matter, our decisions matter, our actions matter,” Mr Burgess told the Lowy Institute in November.

"The aggrieved, the opportunistic and the cunning are ripping our social fabric.

“But in most cases, they are exploiting and amplifying existing discord.”

The AFP received 951 reports of threatening, harassing, nuisance and offensive communications to parliamentarians last financial year.

New AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett last year set up National Security Investigations (NSI) teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra specifically to investigate groups and individuals “targeting federal parliamentarians”.

“There are current and emerging groups who are eroding our country’s social fabric by advocating hatred, fear and humiliation, and the AFP is putting them on notice,” Commissioner Barrett said at the time.

The commissioner recently told Senate Estimates the NSI teams had charged 21 individuals across Australia since September.

There is no evidence that the Chinese embassy or Chinese government was behind the threat to the Lodge, and one government source cautioned against “jumping to any conclusions” about the bomb threat, saying it could simply have come from a member of the community hostile to Falun Gong.