E-mails to Chinese dancers allegedly threatened Australian PM
The Straits Times
An e-mail threat was sent seeking to stop a performance in Australia by Falun Gong-linked dance group. Read more at straitstimes.com.
SYDNEY - A security scare at the Australian prime minister’s residence this week was sparked by a bomb threat against an anti-Beijing Chinese dance troupe, the act’s hosts said on Feb 27.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to evacuate his official residence in Canberra, The Lodge, on Feb 24 over an unspecified “alleged security incident”.
Police said at the time that they found nothing suspicious in their search and declared there was no threat to the public, without saying what sparked the incident.
“We made the report to the national security agencies, including police,” Ms Lucy Zhao, president of the Falun Dafa Association of Australia and host to the Shen Yun dance group, told AFP. “We have to take it seriously.”
An e-mail threat was sent two days earlier seeking to stop a performance in Australia by the New York-based dance group which is linked to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, also known as Falun Dafa.
A copy of the Chinese-language e-mail provided to AFP said “large quantities of nitroglycerin explosives” had been placed in the prime minister’s residence.
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