Australia lifts terrorism threat level from ’possible’ to ’probable’; says no specific threat

Australian government raises terrorism threat level to "probable" due to radicalisation concerns, despite no specific imminent threats.

The Australian government on Monday elevated the nation’s terrorism threat alert level from “possible” to “probable,” citing concerns about increasing radicalisation among young people and community tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.

It is the first time the threat level has been elevated to the midpoint of the five-tier National Terrorism Threat Advisory System since November 2022. The level had been “probable” the previous eight years.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added that while government officials think the current climate makes terrorism an increased danger, they did not know of any specific threats.

“I want to reassure Australians probable does not mean inevitable, and it does not mean there is intelligence about an imminent threat or danger,” Mr. Albanese told reporters.

He said the government was acting on the advice of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency known as ASIO.

“The advice that we’ve received is that more Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and it is our responsibility to be vigilant,” Mr. Albanese said.

“We’ve seen a global rise in politically motivated violence and extremism. Many democracies are working to address this, including our friends in the United States and the United Kingdom. Many things are driving this global trend towards violence. Governments around the world are concerned about youth radicalization, online radicalization and the rise of new mixed ideologies,” he added.