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Sabotage, surveillance and state-sponsored killings: ASIO's warning
Feb 20, 2025
Jason Koutsoukis, a special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, sheds light on ASIO's alarming threat assessment revealing Australia's most challenging security landscape in half a century. He discusses the rise of foreign interference, with governments attempting to influence Australian politics and elections. Koutsoukis also covers the prevalence of self-radicalization among youth, driven by extremist ideologies and social media. Moreover, he delves into the implications of espionage in the context of AUKUS, highlighting the nation's urgent need for robust defense strategies.
14:09
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Quick takeaways
- Australia's national terror threat level is at a probable status due to a surge in self-radicalized lone actors and violent ideologies.
- Foreign interference is escalating, with authoritarian regimes attempting to access sensitive military information and employing state-sponsored tactics against Australians.
Deep dives
Current Terror Threat Landscape in Australia
Australia faces an elevated national terror threat level, categorized as probable, which indicates the likelihood of future attacks is significant and will likely persist. In the past year alone, five attempted terror attacks have been thwarted by ASIO, highlighting the urgent need for vigilance. The nature of the threats has shifted, with a stark increase in self-radicalized lone actors, often from previously unconnected backgrounds, now at the forefront of these risks. This alarming trend points to a transformation in extremist motivations, now predominantly influenced by racism and nationalism, rather than the traditional religious extremism seen a decade ago.
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