Taiwan’s Criminal Police Bureau has reportedly traced a recent wave of mass violence threats targeting Shen Yun Performing Arts shows to an institute affiliated with Chinese tech giant Huawei, according to a new report by Liberty Times.
The investigation comes in response to a surge of emailed threats over the past week, which targeted Shen Yun performances and several Taiwanese government institutions. The messages included bomb and shooting threats, warning of violence unless the performances were canceled. On a single day alone, authorities documented 13 such threats sent to public offices, train stations, and cultural venues across cities, including Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Keelung.
After launching a cross-agency task force, Taiwanese police say they traced the origin of the emails to the Huawei Xi’an Institute in Shaanxi Province, China. Though the threats appeared to have been routed through multiple international VPNs, digital forensics reportedly led investigators to a network connected to the Huawei facility. Officials noted that personnel tied to the institute may have been involved and did not rule out links to China’s notorious online influence operations, often dubbed the “Internet Army.”
The threatening emails contained politically charged language, including usernames referencing “8964,” an apparent nod to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Investigators believe this suggests possible state-sponsored psychological operations targeting Taiwan’s social and cultural stability.
Shen Yun, a U.S.-based performing arts company affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement, has long drawn the ire of Beijing due to its strong anti-Communist message and depictions of religious persecution in China. The troupe’s performances, which blend classical Chinese dance with original orchestral music, are frequently disrupted by Chinese interference campaigns abroad.
In response to the findings, Shen Yun spokesperson Leeshai Lemish, who has served as the company’s master of ceremonies since 2006, urged U.S. authorities to take the threats seriously.
Hellbound and Down 