ASIO leaves Australia terror level on probable; on alert for further threats
The country’s top spy agency is investigating whether there is a further threat to Australian Jews following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, but leaves the terror threat level at its current possible level.
NSW Police’s designation of the shock attack as a terrorist attack will allow law enforcement, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), to use their specialist powers to investigate the killings and take steps to protect community safety.
“This attack, this senseless attack, is an act of terrorism. It is intended to create fear,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra late Sunday night.
“But right now we will stand with the Jewish community and Australian Jews.”
According to authorities, at least 12 people, including two police officers, were shot dead and 29 others were injured. Members of Sydney’s Jewish community gathered in Bondi on Sunday evening to celebrate the first night of the Jewish festival Hanukkah.
Albanians have signaled increased funding for the security of the Jewish community following an attack on one of the country’s most famous landmarks.
Mike Burgess, Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), said one of the attackers was known to his organization before the shooting, but “was not an immediate threat”.
“We are trying to see if there is anyone in the community with similar intentions. It is important to emphasize at this point that we have no indication of this fact, but it is something we have active investigations into,” he said.
Burgess said the domestic terrorism threat level was still probable, meaning there was a 50 per cent chance of a terrorist act within the next 12 months.
He stated that he was saddened by the terrible events that took place at Bondi Beach and said, “I do not think this situation will change at this stage.”
“No single incident on its own raises the threat level at the national level, but we keep it under constant review.”
ASIO raised the national terrorism threat level from probable to probable in October 2024, saying it “expects an increase in politically motivated violence, including terrorism, across all ideological spectrums”.
An increase to the next threat level would mean that the government has concerns about a specific terrorist threat.
Nigel Ryan, the AFP’s deputy national commissioner, said the federal police “will use all the resources we can, all our specialist powers, all our specialist resources, to ensure that this matter is investigated as thoroughly as possible”.
“We have heard of a terrorist incident declaration in relation to the joint counter-terrorism team which will enable the AFP, as well as ASIO and New South Wales Police, to exercise specialist powers in relation to this investigation,” he said.
Ryan said that because the investigation is ongoing and in its early stages, he did not want to speculate on the leads police were examining.
Jillian Segal, the federal government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, said the attack on a peaceful Hanukkah gathering in Bondi “speaks to the Australian Jewish community’s worst fears coming true”.
Segal pointed out that there were provocative anti-Israel protests in front of the Sydney Opera House immediately after Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, and said that the attack did not occur without warning.
“For ordinary Australians, this moment demands clarity,” he said.
“What once seemed distant or disturbing can no longer be ignored. Taunts on the Opera House steps, synagogues set ablaze and now massacres at celebrations form part of a clear pattern. This is not the Australia we know and cannot be the Australia we accept.”
The Federation of Islamic Councils of Australia stated in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” by the attack and said: “No one should live in fear of such horrific violence in public spaces.
“Everyone has the right to safety, security and peace, and we condemn in the strongest terms any actions that violate this fundamental right.”
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Shane Wright- Shane is the senior economic correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: excitement or email.
