The infiltration of foreign “sleeper” agents and a growing threat of right-wing extremism are among the greatest threats facing the nation today, the boss of Australia’s domestic spy agency has warned.
ASIO director general Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment on Monday evening, saying the level of terror threat in Australia remains “probable” with violent Islamic extremism the agency’s primary concern.
However the agency has also noted a disturbing rise in “intolerance based on race, gender and identity, and the extreme political views that intolerance inspires” which he said is on the rise across the western world.
“Right-wing extremism has been in ASIO’s sights for some time, but obviously this threat came into sharp, terrible focus last year in New Zealand,” he said.
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“In Australia, the extreme right wing threat is real and it is growing. In suburbs around Australia, small cells regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology.”
“These groups are more organised and security conscious than they were in previous years.
“We continue to see some Australian extremists seeking to connect with like-minded individuals in other parts of the world, sometimes in person. They are not merely seeking to share ideology and tactics.”
Earlier this year, ASIO stopped an Australian leaving to fight with a right-wing group.
“While these are small in number at this time in comparison to what we saw with foreign fighters heading to the Middle East, any development like this is very concerning,” he said.
“Meanwhile, extreme right wing online forums such as The Base proliferate on the internet, and attract international memberships, including from Australians. These online forums share and promote extremist right wing ideologies, and encourage and justify acts of extreme violence.”
COLD WAR THRILLER
The ASIO boss also said Australia remains the target of espionage and foreign interference from other countries which is now a more active field than during the Cold War.
“We’ve seen visiting scientists and academics ingratiating themselves into university life with the aim of conducting clandestine intelligence collection,” he said.
Mr Burgess claimed one particular case read like the pages of a “cold war thriller.”
“I can reveal that a foreign intelligence service sent a ‘sleeper’ agent to Australia. The agent lay dormant for many years, quietly building community and business links, all the while secretly maintaining contact with his offshore handlers.
“The agent started feeding his spymasters information about Australia-based expatriate dissidents, which directly led to harassment of the dissidents in Australia and their relatives overseas.
“In exchange for significant cash payments, the agent also provided on-the-ground logistical support for spies who travelled to Australia to conduct intelligence activities.”
Mr Burgess also said Australia would focus on ensuring those released from prison would not return to take up an extremist cause, after terror attacks carried out in the UK by those who had recently been released from jail.
He said teens as young as 13 are also being targeted by recruiters and the terror treat is expected to remain a feature of the global security landscape.
“As an organisation we have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that we can meet the challenges of technology and data that are impacting our operations.”
“But I am confident that with the thoughtful and innovative plans we already have in place, we will be able to bring the right technology and the right people together to solve those issues,” he said.
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