Overview
- ASIO now assesses a realistic possibility a foreign regime will attempt to assassinate a perceived dissident in Australia, with at least three nations willing and capable of lethal targeting.
- Burgess disclosed that ASIO officers confronted foreign intelligence at a third-country meeting after tracking an operation seeking inside information on the economy, critical minerals and AUKUS, underscoring that ASIO conducts operations offshore.
- Investigators uncovered links between Australian pro-Russian influencers and an offshore media outlet almost certainly directed by Russian intelligence to inflame domestic debate.
- Iran was cited for directing late-2024 arson attacks on Jewish sites via criminal cut-outs, a model ASIO says could be used to mask future high-harm activity.
- The agency warns Australia’s social fabric is fraying as neo-Nazis and Islamist agitators exploit protests and as AI and social platforms accelerate radicalisation and disinformation.