‘Blood will flow’: Anthony Albanese evacuation from The Lodge followed Chinese-language bomb threat

A bomb scare at Anthony Albanese’s official residence in Canberra overnight has reportedly been linked to a New York–based classical Chinese dance and music company.

The Prime Minister was evacuated from The Lodge to a secure location after the Australian Federal Police responded to an alleged security threat at about 6pm on Monday.

Anti-Chinese Communist Party newspaper Epoch Times on Wednesday reported that it was linked to a threat a dance company received just days before a Shen Yun performance in Australia.

The news outlet claims the Falun Gong-affiliated dance company had received Chinese-language emails which claimed nitroglycerin explosives had been placed around The Lodge.

It had warned “blood will flow like a river” if Shen Yun performances continued on its planned date of February 25.

The threat sent to performers included messaging stating “If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister’s Lodge will be blown into ruins”.

It is understood the first email was sent on February 10 and a second on February 22 before it was forwarded on to the AFP on Tuesday.

After sweeping the property, AFP officials deemed it safe and the Prime Minister was allowed to return just after 9pm, but the incident has prompted politicians to renew calls to “turn the temperature down”.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher described it as a “very troubling” incident and urged people to “take the temperature down” amid rising political threats.

“Our point of view, and the prime minister’s been saying for months, we need to take the temperature down,” she told ABC breakfast TV.

“It would be great if people could disagree without issuing a death threat or threatening someone’s life at work, that’s for sure.”

Politicians from across the aisle also condemned threats against politicians and issued words of support for Mr Albanese following a security incident on Tuesday evening.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said he was “pleased” the PM was “safe and well” after the ordeal.

“Threats against any parliamentarian are utterly abhorrent, especially in a country built on expressing our differences through debate,” he posted on X.

Greens leader Larissa Waters also said she was relieved the PM was safe after being evacuated, adding “a bomb threat overnight is shocking”.

“The recent escalation of threats against parliamentarians must be called out. Violence has no place in our democracy,” she said.

Greens senator Nick McKim said Australians should be able to take part in political debate safely and insisted politicians had a role to play in keeping discourse on civil terms.

“I think what we have to be careful about is that politics is absolutely rife for disagreement — and we should be passionate about our positions, we should argue our position strongly and forcefully — but there is a line that we don’t want to cross,” he said.

Labor MP Julian Hill also echoed the call for to de-escalating tensions.

“One of the wonderful, beautiful things about our country that we don’t want to lose is that leaders in every sphere, whether they’re personalities in the media, whether they’re political leaders, judges, and others, can move freely about society, can engage, right across all parts of society without massive security coordinates and bubbles around them,” he told Sky News.

“We don’t want to lose that aspect of our national character, and we need to turn the temperature down.”

The PM had posted a photo of his dog Toto online as he flew out to Melbourne on Wednesday morning for his pre-scheduled list of engagements, captioned: “Toto on alert but all good”.

“Thanks to AFP for your ongoing work and professionalism and to people who sent kind messages,” the PM added.

While in Melbourne addressing the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Herald Sun’s “Future Victoria”, the PM was heckled by two protesters.

One man who gatecrashed the event held up a small sign saying “No More Coal and Gas”, while a woman stood up on her chair and started yelling. Both were escorted out by security.