Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director General Mike Burgess has revealed that an Australian citizen working as a senior intelligence officer for Iran orchestrated a firebombing in Bondi, while a former Australian resident in Iraq allegedly directed an attack on a Melbourne synagogue. The claims were made during Burgess's annual threat assessment speech on Wednesday night.
Homegrown Ties to Antisemitic Attacks
Burgess alleged two attacks linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Australia's Jewish community were directed by two individuals living offshore with strong ties to Australia. One, an Australian citizen based in Iran and a senior agent within a covert unit of the IRGC Quds Force, allegedly orchestrated the firebombing of Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Bondi in October 2024. The other, a former Australian resident living in Iraq, was behind the attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024.
“I cannot name the two individuals tonight to protect ongoing investigations and related prosecutions, but I want them to understand this: we know who you are, we know what you’ve done, and we know who you work for,” Burgess said. “We assessed these individuals were seeking to covertly promote hatred, foster antisemitism and encourage violence against Iran’s perceived enemies.”
Security Threats Converging
Burgess warned that the anticipated crescendo of security threats against Australia by the end of the decade had already arrived, including December's terror attack at Bondi beach where 15 people died in an antisemitic shooting. “Our degrading security environment is characterised by concurrent, cascading and compounding threats,” he said. Among those threats were homegrown terrorists, foreign regimes targeting citizens, spies chasing details about the AUKUS deal, and nation-states infiltrating critical infrastructure.
The ASIO boss emphasised that intelligence officials must contend with security threats from everywhere and all at once. He noted that social media is “amplifying and accelerating” an erosion of trust in institutions, promoting discord and heightening polarisation. “Whether online or in the real world, when intolerance is tolerated, when violent language and violent acts are left unchecked, they become normalised, reinforcing the impression they are acceptable and compounding the likelihood of further violence,” Burgess said.
Call for Tolerance and Fair Go
Burgess called on Australians who want a safer country to be more tolerant and give others a “fair go” to reduce tensions. He said the hatred of Jews is one thing virtually all violent extremist cohorts have in common. “I firmly believe that if more Australians, not just visitors, embraced the ethos of a fair go, mutual respect and tolerance, the temperature of our security environment would be several degrees lower,” Burgess stated.
The ASIO director general pointed to other examples of foreign influence, including coerced repatriations. In one case, an individual experienced a 10-year intimidation campaign by a foreign government to return and address unspecified corruption allegations, with family members detained and subjected to travel bans. At least five regimes were targeting Australians with coerced repatriations, and one was particularly active.
Espionage and AUKUS
Espionage remained a persistent threat, with foreign interest in gaining critical details of the AUKUS pact. Burgess described an incident where a foreign spy disguised as a consultant company employee obtained two reports from an Australian security clearance holder on Australia's relationship with Pacific neighbours before ASIO disrupted the operation. He said the examples occurred in just one week, showing the intelligence agency's biggest challenge is cumulative. “I don’t believe we can prioritise the major threats – you must deal with all of them,” Burgess said.
Burgess concluded by urging a whole-of-community response to tackle the tolerance of intolerance, the growth of grievance, radicalisation of minors, and embrace of conspiracy theories.
