The Australian government has elevated the nation’s terrorism threat alert level from “possible” to “probable”, citing concerns about increasing radicalisation among young people and community tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
It is the first time the threat level has been elevated to the midpoint of the five-tier National Terrorism Threat Advisory System since November 2022.
The level had been “probable” the previous eight years.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that while government officials think the current climate makes terrorism an increased danger, they did not know of any specific threats.
My government’s first priority is the safety and security of Australians.
When the temperature of the security environment is rising, we must lower the temperature of debate.
Because our words and our actions matter. pic.twitter.com/TeZzyWPO9DAdvertisement— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 5, 2024
“I want to reassure Australians probable does not mean inevitable, and it does not mean there is intelligence about an imminent threat or danger,” Mr Albanese told reporters.
He said the government was acting on the advice of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the nation’s main domestic spy agency.
“The advice that we’ve received is that more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and it is our responsibility to be vigilant,” Mr Albanese said.
“We’ve seen a global rise in politically motivated violence and extremism. Many democracies are working to address this, including our friends in the United States and in the United Kingdom. There are many things driving this global trend towards violence. Governments around the world are concerned about youth radicalisation, online radicalisation and the rise of new mixed ideologies.”
This does not mean that ASIO has intelligence about current attack planning or an expectation of an imminent attack. #ASIO & its law enforcement partners are working hard to detect terrorist threats & are well-practiced at defeating them.
— ASIO (@ASIOGovAu) August 5, 2024
Australian authorities last declared a terrorist act in April, when a 16-year-old boy was accused of the stabbing of a Sydney bishop while a church service was being streamed online.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said more Australians are being radicalised more quickly.
“More Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and more Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause,” Mr Burgess said.
“Politically motivated violence now joins espionage and foreign interference as our principal security concerns. These factors make ASIO’s job more difficult. The threats are becoming harder to predict and identify.”
