Threat of mass terror increasing: ASIS | The Australian:
"THE opportunities for terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will increase over the coming decade, the head of Australia's overseas spy network has warned."
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THE opportunities for terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will increase over the coming decade, the head of Australia's overseas spy network has warned.
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"We know that the intention to conduct mass casualty attacks against Western countries, including Australia, remains very real," he said.
"We also know that many of these planned attacks are being conceived in places remote from Australia."
The threat of Islamist terrorism has been a key driver of ASIS' operational expansion from Asia into more far-flung locations such as Africa and the Middle East.
The agency's work involves not only collecting intelligence on terrorist plots but also disrupting their operations and helping law enforcement agencies make arrests.
ASIS had been closely involved with the arrest and detention of "dozens" of terrorists in South-East Asia over the past decade - including in recent months, Mr Warner said.
Counter-proliferation was also an important part of ASIS' work, he said.
Terrorist groups would have increasing opportunities to get their hands on material related to WMD over the coming ten to fifteen years, he warned.
"The threat posed by terrorist groups who might seek to acquire WMD is the ultimate nightmare for security planners and, of course, a prime concern for us and all of the Australian intelligence community," Mr Warner said.
"Where terrorism intersects with counter-proliferation there is a clear but very challenging role for ASIS."
ASIS "actively" worked against overseas companies that attempted to trade in illicit and embargoed goods, he said.
ASIS was created in May 1952, modelled on the UK's MI6, but its existence was not acknowledged until 1977.
Mr Warner - a lifelong public servant and diplomat - was appointed ASIS head in August 2009 and is the only member of the service who can be publicly identified.