Australia raises terror threat level to 'probable'

Canberra, Aug 5 (IANS) Australia's official terror threat level has been raised from "possible" to "probable," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, Albanese said that the National Security Committee (NSC) decided to raise the threat level after being briefed by the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) at a meeting on Monday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that the decision was driven by increases in youth radicalisation, online radicalisation and the rise of new mixed ideologies.

"I want to reassure Australians probable does not mean inevitable and it does not mean there is intelligence about an imminent threat or danger but the advice that we've received is that more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and it is our responsibility to be vigilant," he said.

Mike Burgess, director-general of ASIO, said the agency has disrupted eight possible terror incidents since April and warned that attacks are likely to be perpetrated by individuals or small cells of terrorists using simple tactics and weapons in crowded public places.

"More Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause. This includes violent protest, riots, and attack on a politician or democratic institutions," he said at Monday's press conference.

Burgess said that the ongoing conflict in Gaza was not the cause for raising the terror threat level but that it was a significant factor.

The terrorism threat level was lowered to "possible" in November 2022 -- eight years after it was last raised to "probable" in 2014 during the emergence of Islamic State (IS).

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