Australia raises terror threat level to ‘probable’ amid rise of ‘extremist ideologies’

Australian intelligence chief believes Gaza conflict is not caused by him but is a “significant factor”

Aug. 5 () –

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday raised the country’s terrorist threat level from “possible” to “probable”, the fourth highest of the five levels in existence, due to the rise of “extremist ideologies” in a context marked by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

“Australia’s National Intelligence Agency (ASIO) has decided to return Australia’s domestic terrorist threat level from possible to probable. I want to reassure Australians, probable does not mean inevitable and it does not mean there is evidence of an imminent threat or danger. But the evidence we have received is that more and more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extremist ideologies and it is our responsibility to be vigilant,” Albanese announced in a speech posted on his account on the social network X.

He said that this was the level Australia had been at for eight years until it was lowered in November 2022, after which he urged the population to contact the authorities if they detect that someone they know is “going down a dark and extremist path.”

“Australians should be aware, but not afraid,” added Albanese, who wants to “lower the temperature” of the “discourse”.

ASIO Director General Mike Burgess has said Australians are increasingly “willing to use violence to defend their cause,” adding “espionage and foreign interference” as their top security concerns.

Finally, he said that while the conflict in Gaza is not the cause of this rise in extremism, it is a “significant factor” in it.