Is Australia the next terror target?

Terror attacks are always at the top of every news bulletin, and it seems that they are striking around the world more frequently. Surely they are something that happens in other countries though and not Australia? The Prime Minister doesn’t seem to think that it’s off the table.

After an Islamic State magazine called for “lone wolf” attacks to be carried out in Sydney and Melbourne the Prime Minister thinks that we all need to be “very alert”. While speaking during his trip to Laos, Malcolm told the press, “As Daesh (Islamic State) comes under more and more pressure on the battlefield in Syria and in Iraq — as it is rolled back, as its territory is being taken back — it will resort to terrorist activities outside of the Middle East”. He continued “But we do have to be very alert to the actions of these lone actors — individuals who, as I’ve described in the national security statement last week, for a variety of reasons, may be radicalised.

“(They are) often associated with mental illness, frankly, can be radicalised very quickly and engage in very destructive, lethal conduct, as we saw in Nice, for example.”

While the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, and the states police dismissed the call for attacks as “propaganda” there is a belief that an attack on Australian soil could happen. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters “What appears to be the only new content is essentially a poem making reference to a number of Australian locations”. He continues “In that poem, it seeks to get people to wreak violence in a number of suburbs in Victoria, that includes Brunswick and Broadmeadows and a specific mention of the MCG.” Graham is quick to point out, “It also mentions Bondi; you’ll notice all these suburbs start with a b, hence the mention of the poem, and also the SCG in Sydney.”

The Police Commissioner conclude “”If anything arises then we’ll obviously be acting on it, but at this stage, there is nothing of any concern.”