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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp

Asio warns against inflamed language over Middle East amid concern of ‘opportunistic violence’

Asio head Mike Burgess
Asio head Mike Burgess says tensions over the Israel-Hamas war are ‘resonating in the Australian community’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

An Australian intelligence chief has urged leaders to safeguard social cohesion amid bloodshed in the Middle East, warning that “inflamed language” may fuel community tensions.

The head of Asio, Mike Burgess, issued a rare public statement to say Australia’s terrorism threat level had not increased, but his agency was “concerned about the potential for opportunistic violence with little or no warning”.

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