ASIO Warns of Foreign Assassination Threats and Exploitation of Rallies in Australia

ASIO Director-General Delivers Grave Warning

Mike Burgess, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), delivered a sobering assessment of Australia's national security landscape during his annual address at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on November 4, 2025. Burgess warned of an unprecedented and escalating threat environment, characterized by foreign interference, espionage, and the potential for politically motivated violence on Australian soil.

Realistic Possibility of Assassination Attempts

A central point of Burgess's warning was the 'realistic possibility' that foreign governments could attempt assassinations of perceived dissidents within Australia. He stated that at least three foreign countries are 'willing and capable' of conducting lethal targeting. While not naming the nations, Burgess indicated that these regimes might employ 'criminal cutouts' to obscure their involvement, drawing parallels to how Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly directed arson attacks on Jewish sites in Sydney and Melbourne. Burgess emphasized that ASIO and its law enforcement partners are 'acutely alive' to this threat and are working diligently to protect Australians.

Exploitation of Social Divisions and Rallies

Burgess also detailed how foreign powers and extremist groups are actively exploiting social divisions within Australia. He revealed that pro-Russian social media influencers, linked to an offshore media organization 'almost certainly' receiving direction from Russian intelligence, are spreading 'vitriolic, polarizing commentary on anti-immigration protests and pro-Palestinian marches'. These 'state-sanctioned trolls' aim to transform 'hot-button issues into burning issues, tipping disagreement into division and division into violence'.

Furthermore, domestic extremist organizations, such as the National Socialist Network (which is reportedly rebranding as 'White Australia'), have 'opportunistically exploited' anti-immigration and cost-of-living rallies to recruit new members and enhance their public profile. Burgess underscored that foreign powers are weaponizing various means, from criminal gangs to social media influencers, to sow discord and undermine Australia's social cohesion.

Escalating Threat Landscape

The ASIO Director-General painted a picture of a 'degrading trajectory of our security environment', with espionage and foreign interference reaching 'extreme levels' that are expected to intensify. He highlighted 'multiple, cascading and intersecting threats' to Australia's social cohesion, fueled by a combination of aggrieved individuals, opportunistic extremist groups, and cunning nation-states. Burgess's assessment underscores a complex and challenging security outlook for Australia in the coming years.