OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:10 PM – Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Australia has raised their terror threat level from “possible” to “probable.”
On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised the country’s threat level, citing an increase in extremist views leading Australia to a more than 50% chance of having an onshore attack in the next 12 months. However, he stated that he is only following advice from security services and that there was no imminent threat of an attack.
“The advice that we have received is that more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and it is our responsibility to be vigilant,” he told a news conference.
Australia had a “probable” threat level for eight years before it was lowered to “possible” in 2022.
Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, Mike Burgess, said that tensions in the Middle East were a contributing factor to raising the threat level of the country.
“The conflict has fueled grievances, promoted protests, undermined social cohesion and elevated intolerance,” he said.
In recent months, the country has seen several attacks that have been labeled as motivated by extremists.
These incidents included a knife attack on an Assyrian church bishop and a few of his supporters in Sydney in April. It was described by Australian police as a terrorist act driven by a suspicion of religious extremism.
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