Kennedy Center Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat

The threat was directed at Shen Yun, the Chinese dance group associated with Falun Gong

On Thursday, February 20, the Kennedy Center was evacuated on account of a bomb threat. The threat was delivered by phone during a mid-morning rehearsal, and was targeted at a Shen Yun performance, due to take place that evening.

"A security person came over in the loud speakers backstage saying ‘this is not a drill. Evacuate immediately,'" said Leeshai Lemish, the MC for Shen Yun, in a press conference.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said that the threat was specifically related to Shen Yun (which is banned in China) because it is associated with the religious group Falun Gong. The group regularly rents a theater at the Kennedy Center for its performances.

In a statement to 7 News, the group claimed that there had been 50 such threats in the past three months.

Both D.C. Police and U. S. Park Police vehicles responded to the scene at around 10:45 AM (ET). Several hours later, the building was deemed safe for re-entry, and the Shen Yun performance was able to go ahead as scheduled that evening.

"While I was waiting outside in the cold, I was thinking, wow, anyone would dare to send a bomb threat to a performing arts venue that’s basically the national cultural center of the U.S.," said Alice Liu, a Shen Yun performer who has been with the company for 16 years.