Good afternoon. The government has raised the country’s terrorism threat level from “possible” to “probable” as security officials warn of an increased risk of violence “across all ideological spectrums”. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, made the announcement in Canberra on Monday, reversing a change made nearly two years ago.
Intelligence sources said the decision to raise the threat level was not triggered by any single issue or ideology, but noted an overall increase in polarisation in Australia and other western countries. The sources said social cohesion was under strain and Covid-era grievances were being exacerbated by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The level of “probable” means that security officials believe “there is a greater than 50% chance of an onshore attack or attack planning in the next twelve months”.
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