Australian spy boss says he shifted resources from counterterrorism before Hanukkah attack
Burgess said ASIO shifted staff to espionage and foreign interference work as antisemitic violence rose and counterterrorism tasks eased.
- ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess told an inquiry the agency redirected resources from counterterrorism to espionage and foreign interference investigations several years before the Sydney Hanukkah attack.
- Burgess testified before a government inquiry examining the rise of antisemitism in Australia following the Dec. 14 attack at Bondi Beach, where two gunmen killed 15 people.
- Australia’s National Terrorism Threat Level was lowered from “probable” to “possible” in November 2022 after the defeat of the Islamic State group in the Middle East.
- Burgess said ASIO increased its focus on foreign interference and espionage while still maintaining adequate resources for its counterterrorism operations.
39 Articles
39 Articles
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ASIO Chief Says Espionage Threat Shifted Focus Away From Terror Before Bondi
The main focus of the Australian Security Intelligence Service (ASIO) prior to the Bondi terrorist attack on Dec. 14, 2025, was on foreign espionage and foreign interference in the community and in politics, the organisation’s chief told the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion. Director-General Mike Burgess admitted that, because those issues were “not connected” to the threat of terrorism, security agencies and police had no i…
The head of Australian intelligence explained that his agency was "stressed" by various threats prior to the Bondi bombing.
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