January 27, 2025
New York, Washington DC
Graphic Death Threat Targets Shen Yun Headquarters, Members of U.S. Congress Ahead of Chinese New Year
Two days before Chinese New Year, an anonymous message was sent containing a vivid death threat. It targeted Dragon Springs, the New York headquarters of Shen Yun, and members of the U.S. Congress who have supported Falun Gong. The threat was sent in Chinese by email to the Falun Dafa Information Center, as well as submitted via the contact form of FalunDafa.org, a website that hosts information about Falun Gong, its spiritual teachings, and exercise instruction videos. With the subject line “Set fire on the first day of Chinese New Year,” it warned:
“I have made a large number of incendiary bombs using alcohol and glass bottles. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, we will secretly go to Dragon Springs Temple [home of Shen Yun’s headquarters and training facilities], set fire to the surrounding vehicles, then hack and kill the guards, break into Dragon Springs Temple, and throw gasoline bombs at the wooden buildings! Slash and kill everyone we can see! At the same time, our people will attack congressmen who support Falun Gong!”
The Falun Dafa Information Center and Shen Yun informed law enforcement and Capitol Police about the threat. The IP address associated with the message was located in France, though likely a virtual-private network (VPN) was used by the perpetrator to disguise their location. This was the fifth anonymous threat sent since January 12 that targeted Falun Gong and also members of Congress who support them. Read More→
February 2-3, 2025New York, Washington DC
Anonymous Messages Impersonate Chinese dissident, Taiwanese Vice President and Threaten Members of Congress who Support Falun Gong
Two messages sent in Chinese in early February included death threats to Members of Congress and Dragon Springs, Shen Yun’s headquarters and home to its training facilities. The messages were sent using the contact form of the website FalunDafa.org, which hosts information about Falun Gong teachings and exercise instructions. The first message, sent on February 2, attempted to impersonate Chinese dissident Chen Poking and requested a ransom of 18 million dollars, stating that otherwise, “I will make Dragon Springs Temple and the U.S. Congress covered with dead bodies everywhere.” The second message, sent on February 3, entered the name of Taiwan’s Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao as the sender and said:
Subject: We do not rule out attacking Congressional members who support Falun Gong Bombs will be installed and detonated at or near these Congressional members' residents or in their vehicles!
The Falun Dafa Information Center has informed law enforcement of the threats.
February 3, 2025
Dijon, France
False Bomb Threat Prompts French Police to Disrupt Preparation for Shen Yun Performance
An anonymous bomb threat was sent to a theater in Dijon, France on February 3 targeting a Shen Yun performance that evening. The police suddenly arrived at the theater at 6:40pm before an 8:00pm show and evacuated performers and staff as they checked for explosives, which following the pattern of these false threats, were not found. However, performers and staff were required to stand outside the theater in the cold for one hour, returning only at 7:40pm and delaying the start of the performance until 8:45pm.
French police arrive at a theater in France following a false bomb threat, then require performers to stand outside for one hour as a precaution, delaying the show’s start.
February 5, 2025United States, Japan, Italy
Anonymous messages claim to have hacked into theater systems, threaten staff at venues hosting Shen Yun performances
On February 05, 2025, an anonymous threat was submitted through the contact form of falundafa.org, the main website where Falun Gong’s teachings and exercise instruction videos are available for free download. The sender, impersonating Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, claimed in simplified Chinese to have hacked into the computer systems of theaters hosting Shen Yun performances and obtained staff information, warning that the compromised theater staff and their families were in danger. The threat originated from an IP address in France (51.158.240.91), likely the result of a VPN server used to keep the sender’s location anonymous. On the same day, a similar threat was submitted through the contact form of faluninfo.net, the official website of the Falun Dafa Information Center, which documents the human rights violations facing Falun Gong practitioners in China and worldwide. This sender, using the same IP address as the previous incident and entering the name of Guan Jianzhong, a Chinese billionaire, repeated the claims in simplified Chinese, specifying that some Shen Yun theaters in the United States, Japan, and Italy had been hacked. The claims of hack appear to be false.
February 3-6, 2025
United Kingdom
British MP urges action on transnational repression against Falun Gong, Shen Yun after fake bomb threat sent to English theater
On February 3, an anonymous bomb threat tried to urge the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, England to “cancel Shen Yun performances.” The writer claimed to have “purchased pistols and made a lot of incendiary bombs” and threatened to attack once the performance starts. Law enforcement were alerted and no actual violence occurred. Three days later, British member of parliament Jim Shannon raised a question in the House of Commons regarding the CCP’s “relentless persecution” of Falun Gong practitioners and also the recent intensified transnational repression targeting Falun Gong and Shen Yun, calling it “deeply troubling.” He further noted:
Leaked reports from China’s Ministry of Public Security indicate that the regime is now escalating efforts to eliminate Falun Gong worldwide using a network of spies, social media, disinformation and harassment of practitioners—even here in this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is not just an attack on religious freedom; it is an affront to British values, democracy and the rule of law. Will the Government urgently investigate and counter the influence of the Chinese Communist party’s transnational repression within our borders, including its attacks on Falun Gong and its attempts to censor Shen Yun performances?
In response to the query, Lucy Powell, leader of the House of Commons, acknowledged that Shannon “raises an important issue of religious freedom or belief.” She also noted that “the Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary raised human rights and matters of freedom of religion or belief on their recent visits to China.”
February 7, 2025
Washington DC
U.S. State Department condemns intimidation of Falun Gong and Shen Yun
According to a news report published on February 7, in response to a question regarding the recent transnational repression faced by Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun in the United States, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, “We condemn such acts of intimidation and urge protection of the right to free expression” and that they “urge the Chinese Communist Party to end its now 25-year campaign to eradicate Falun Gong.” The spokesperson also noted that in its annual international religious freedom report, the department has documented “incidents of interference against Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun Performing Arts in many countries.”
February 7-11, 2025Washington DC
New spate of death threats list White House, U.S. State Department, members of Congress, and other parliamentarians who support Falun Gong as targets
Seven anonymous death and bombing threats sent from February 7 to 11 to the websites of FalunDafa.org, the Falun Dafa Information Center, and Shen Yun Performing Arts list as targets various political leaders in the United States, Taiwan, and globally. The threats were written in Chinese and sent via the contact forms of the websites using various aliases. They warn of kidnappings, bombings, and killings targeting U.S. and other elected officials. Most of the messages link the targeting of these individuals to their support for Falun Gong practitioners suffering persecution. One threat sent on February 8, after the U.S. State Department publicly condemned these very kinds of threats, used as the subject line “The U.S. State Department would be the first target”. The message states: “If the U.S. State Department dares to support Falun Gong, it is possible that [we] would drive a car loaded with bombs, ram the main entrance of the State Department and then detonate the bomb!” Another threat sent on February 11 used the subject line: “Politicians and parliamentarians in various countries who support Falun Gong will get into trouble,” then elaborates on the threat and names the White House as a target:
"Politicians and congressman from all countries who support Falun Gong will become targets of attack, and even shooting Trump and driving a vehicle loaded with explosives into the White House are not ruled out."
In the United States, threatening government officials is a felony under federal law punishable by imprisonment. However, to date, while no violence has occurred, officials have yet to make any arrests related to these threats.
⚠️ View full timeline of incidents: https://faluninfo.net/incident-tracker-monitoring-the-ccps-latest-transnational-repression-and-disinformation-campaign-against-falun-gong
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