Australia raises terror threat level over domestic Islamic State supporters
Canberra upgrades warning over domestic threat from Islamic State supporters to the second highest level on a four tier scale
The Australian government on Friday elevated its terrorism threat level to the second highest warning in response to the domestic threat posed by Islamic State movement supporters.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the increase from “medium” to “high” on a four-tier scale on the advice of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
The domestic spy agency’s Director-General David Irvine said the terrorist threat level had been rising in Australia over the past year, particularly in recent months, mainly due to Australians joining Islamic State to fight in Syria and Iraq.
“What we do have is intelligence that there are people with the intent and the capability to mount attacks.”
“I want to stress that this does not mean that a terror attack is imminent,” Abbott told reporters. “We have no specific intelligence of particular plots.”
“What we do have is intelligence that there are people with the intent and the capability to mount attacks.”
It is the first time that the threat level has been elevated above medium since the scale was introduced in 2003.
Abbott described the new setting as “broadly comparable” to the setting in Britain where the terrorism threat level was raised last month to the second-highest risk level on a five-tier scale.
He said the public would probably notice a greater police and security presence at airports, shipping ports, military bases, government buildings and large public events.