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ASIO Director General Mike Burgess has warned a terrorist attack in Australia remains likely in the next 12 months, in a blunt assessment of the security threat facing the country.
Mr Burgess delivered the warning before a parliamentary inquiry into extremism in Australia, which is examining the country s preparedness against both religiously-motivated and ideologically-motivated extremism.
He told the hearing that religiously-motivated extremists, as well as the evolving threat posed by extremists driven by nationalist and racist views, meant the terrorist threat level in Australia remained probable . We anticipate there will be a terrorist attack in this country in the next 12 months and it could come from either ideology, he told the hearing.
It can come from either ideology and therefore for me doesn t really matter, because they re both capable of conducting acts of violence and that s where we focus.
Mr Burgess also told Federal MPs there were two terrorist attacks that led to two deaths in the past year.
He said the threat level of an attack in Australia remains at probable.
Mr Burgess was speaking before an inquiry into extremist groups and radicalism in Australia that is being run by the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
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Members of far-right extremist movements such as Boogaloo Bois are a growing security threat.(Getty)
Photo: 123RF
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general Mike Burgess said while the main security threat remained from Sunni Islamic extremist groups, the growth in right-wing extremism was also a major concern. Obviously, terrorism threat level remains probable, he said. Given the growth we ve seen in nationalist and racist violent extremism we anticipate there will be a terrorist attack in this country in the next 12 months. It can come from either ideology and therefore for me doesn t really matter, because they re both capable of conducting acts of violence and that s where we focus.
Burgess was later asked to clarify his comments, that he believed an attack could happen within the next year.
Terrorist Attack Likely in Next 12 Months: Australian Intelligence Chief
Australia’s domestic intelligence chief has said he believes that a terrorist attack on Australian soil is likely within the next year.
The comments came during a parliamentary inquiry, where the Australian Federal Police chief called the internet a “salad bar of hate” responsible for amplifying extremist messaging.
Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said Sunni-based violent extremism remained the biggest concern for agencies based on caseload. But there was also a marked increase in nationalist or supremacist-related violence.
“There is likely to be a terrorist attack in the next 12 months,” Burgess told the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security during an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia.