ASIO points finger at allied ‘friend’ countries

The boss of Australia’s domestic spy agency says allied “friend” countries have been caught threatening Australians on our home soil.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess only specifically named Iran as a nation which had “threatened diaspora communities in Australia”, but added “three or four” foreign nations had been caught out.

“I can think of at least three or four that we have actually actively found involved in foreign interference in Australian diaspora communities.”

“Some of them would surprise you, some of them are also our friends,” Mr Burgess said.

The ASIO director-general made the comments on ABC on Sunday, days after Australia’s terror threat level was raised to “probable”.

The threat level was raised because of a heightened chance of politically-motivated violence, so the upcoming federal election would be a “focal point” for ASIO, Mr Burgess said.

But foreign interference and espionage remain principal concerns for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

The most likely terrorist attack in this country would be from an individual who “goes to violence” with little warning and little-to-no planning, the ASIO boss said.

“It could just be a reaction to language they’ve heard used from someone, including a politician.”

“Most” politicians did not deliberately use language which inflamed tensions, he said.

“There is a direct connection between inflamed language, inflamed tension and violence.”

Iran was one country which had been caught threatening diaspora communities in Australia, he said.

Asked if India also threatened diaspora communities in Australia, Mr Burgess said there were “three or four” countries that had been caught, some which “may surprise your viewers”, but said he could only cite Iran because former Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil had publicly identified that Gulf state.

The Iranian ambassador to Australia recently took to social media calling for a “wiping out” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027, and referred to Israelis as a “Zionist plague”.

The ambassador “absolutely” made a “classic, terrible” example of inappropriate, unacceptable language that could actually drive violence, Mr Burgess said.

“That was an example of one worthy of being called out.”