Australia’s domestic intelligence agency ASIO has raised the country’s terrorism threat level to “probable” amid a rise in extremism, the agency’s director-general said on Monday.

ASIO boss Mike Burgess said that Australia’s security environment was more volatile and unpredictable, and the decision was not “taken quickly or easily.

”More Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies, and more Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause. Politically motivated violence now joins espionage and foreign interference as our principal security concerns,” he said in a statement.

He said the trend increased during COVID-19, gained further momentum after the terrorist attacks in Israel, and accelerated during Israel’s military response.

“Individuals are embracing anti-authority ideologies, conspiracy theories and diverse grievances. Some are combining multiple beliefs to create new hybrid ideologies,” he said.

Mr Burgess said attacks were likely to occur with little warning and would be difficult to detect.

“An escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, particularly in southern Lebanon, would inflict further strain, aggravating tensions and potentially fuelling radicalisation,” he stated.

“Probable” did not mean inevitable, nor did Australia have intelligence about current attack planning or an expectation of an imminent attack, Mr Burgess said.

“Australians should be aware but not afraid,” he stressed. 

(dpa/NAN)