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Iranian agents lived in Australia before directing attacks on Sydney and Melbourne, spy chief says
Burgess said the attacks were directed through Iranian networks and marked a rise in state-sponsored terrorism and antisemitic violence, including a Bondi firebombing.
On Wednesday, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess revealed that Iran-backed operatives directed 2024 firebombings at a Sydney restaurant and a Melbourne synagogue, marking major antisemitic attacks.
The IRGC Quds Force recruited these agents through Iraqi-based militia networks, valuing their criminal connections to conduct covert operations across multiple continents.
Burgess characterized the security environment as marked by "concurrent, cascading, and compounding threats," warning that risks include potential future arson, vandalism, or assassinations on Australian soil.
Foreign intelligence services are aggressively targeting the AUKUS submarine pact for secrets, while ASIO revealed an increasing number of Australians face "coerced repatriation" by hostile regimes.
Tracking a shadowy Iran-linked group active in Europe, Burgess fears these networks could expand to Australia to conduct further attacks against Jewish sites and infrastructure.