There have been nine terrorist attacks, disruptions or incidents here in 2024, but no plots have been attributed to events in the Middle East, Australia’s intelligence chief has said.
Hamas against Israel and subsequent Israeli retaliation “raised the temperature of the security environment and made the climate more permissive for violence, making acts of terrorism more likely”, ASIO director general says , Mike Burgess.
Religiously motivated violent extremism makes up the majority of ASIO’s work, but there had been no links between the conflict in the Gaza Strip and terrorist incidents in Australia, Burgess said.
“To be clear, I am talking about individuals who follow a perverted interpretation of Islam, not people of Islamic faith,” he said.
A third of the nine cases involved religiously motivated violent extremism, while the majority were religiously motivated. or a mixture of ideologies.
All involve young people, alone or in small groups and with simple weapons.
People radicalized quickly and without warning, making it harder for intelligence agencies to track, Burgess said.
The director general expressed concern about the re-emergence of the capabilities of the terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
People to pro-Palestinian rallies in Australia may indicate a violent ideology, Burgess said.
However, “it may just be the work of a misguided person who doesn’t really know what they’re doing,” he said.
“As a security agency, I appreciate individuals flying the flag so to speak and indicating that they are someone we should be interested in,” he joked.
“If people are stupid enough to do that… Personally, I welcome people declaring their hand.”
A person who simply “likes” a provocative social media post or supports a Palestinian homeland would not automatically trigger a negative assessment of the security of those holding or applying for a visa.
But those who support or promote violence or destruction of Israel could pose a direct or indirect security threat, Burgess said.
His comments come after the spotlight shifted back to granting visas to Palestinians, with the coalition saying people coming from Gaza could pose a security threat.
Asked whether the federal government should have referred visas to ASIO before they were granted and people arrived in Australia, Burgess said intelligence was ongoing while approval of a visa was a static moment.
“We’ve seen cases where we checked and they were good, and then we learn something that says it’s no longer the right decision,” he said.
