MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – In a concerning disclosure, Mike Burgess, the secretary-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), revealed that the agency uncovered plots by three foreign governments aimed at physically harming individuals residing in Australia. This announcement was made during Burgess's annual address, where he detailed various threats facing the nation.
While Burgess refrained from naming the specific countries involved, he outlined alarming scenarios. One government allegedly attempted to deceive a human rights advocate into traveling from Australia to a third nation, where the assailants planned to injure or potentially kill their target. Fortunately, ASIO intervened in time to prevent the individual's travel. Burgess emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, “In a small number of cases, we held grave fears for the life of the person being targeted.” This incident marks a troubling intersection of international intrigue and human rights advocacy.
Furthermore, another government was found to be plotting to harm or eliminate one or more individuals within Australia as part of a wider scheme dedicated to silencing critics globally. ASIO's collaboration with international security agencies proved to be vital in disrupting this plot during its early stages. Burgess noted that in these two instances, the perpetrators were located offshore, rendering them beyond the reach of Australian law enforcement.
Additionally, Burgess highlighted ASIO's involvement in a grave matter involving a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly planning mass shootings in the United States. ASIO operatives discovered the boy, who identified as a self-professed neo-Nazi, discussing intentions to live-stream a school shooting and subsequently attack a church, synagogue, or mosque. Prompted by this discovery, ASIO alerted American authorities to prevent potential tragedy.
In a related cyber security concern, Burgess mentioned that ASIO identified a cyber unit from an unspecified foreign government that was targeting critical infrastructure networks in the United States. This same unit was reportedly engaged in ongoing attempts to infiltrate Australian networks to map critical systems and deploy malware. “ASIO worked closely with our American counterpart to evict the hackers and shut down their global accesses, including nodes here in Australia,” said Burgess, illustrating the cooperative efforts necessary to counter cyber threats.
The AUKUS security partnership, which comprises Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, also emerged as a focal point of foreign espionage efforts. Burgess indicated that foreign spy agencies are actively targeting AUKUS to gather intelligence on its capabilities and intentions, aiming to undermine the confidence of Australia’s allies. “ASIO has identified foreign services seeking to target AUKUS to position themselves to collect on the capabilities, how Australia intends to use them,” he stated. This highlights not only a breach of national security but also the potential ramifications for international alliances.
Burgess further proclaimed that AUKUS would continue to be a priority target for international intelligence gathering, involving even nations considered friendly. While he did not specify which countries were involved in these espionage activities, his comments shed light on the complexities of modern geopolitical relationships and the challenges facing Australia in maintaining its security and sovereignty.
