The head of Australia’s domestic spy agency says “friendly” allied countries have been caught threatening Australians on home soil.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess only specifically named Iran as a nation that had “threatened diaspora communities in Australia” but added that “three or four” foreign nations had been targeted.
“I can think of at least three or four that we have discovered are actively involved in foreign interference in Australian diaspora communities.”
“Some of them will surprise you, some of them are our friends too,” Burgess said.
The ASIO director-general made the comments on the ABC on Sunday, days after Australia’s terror threat level was raised to “probable”.
The threat level was raised due to an increased likelihood of politically motivated violence, making the upcoming federal election a “focal point” for ASIO, Burgess said.
But foreign interference and espionage remain major concerns for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
The most likely terrorist attack in this country would be by an individual “resorting to violence” with little warning and little or no planning, the head of ASIO has said.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess (pictured) has revealed that among the three or four foreign nations caught interfering in “Australian diaspora communities” are “friendly” countries.
This comes just days after Australia’s terror threat level was raised to “likely” due to an increased likelihood of politically motivated violence (pictured, NSW Police)
“It could simply be a reaction to language they’ve heard from someone, including a politician,” Burgess said.
“Most” politicians did not deliberately use language that would inflame tensions, he said.
“There is a direct connection between inflamed language, inflamed tension and violence.”
Iran is one of the countries that has been caught threatening diaspora communities in Australia, he said.
Asked if India was also threatening diaspora communities in Australia, Burgess said there were “three or four” countries that had been identified, some of which “might surprise your viewers”.
But he said he could only mention Iran because former Home Secretary Clare O’Neil had publicly identified the Gulf state.
Iran’s ambassador to Australia recently took to social media to call for the “elimination” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027, referring to Israelis as a “Zionist plague.”
The ambassador “absolutely” gave a “classic and appalling” example of inappropriate and unacceptable language that could actually lead to violence, Burgess said.
“This was an example worth highlighting.”
