Counter terrorism Police monitoring over 200 Victorians rated as terror risks
POLICE are watching more than 200 Victorians rated as terrorism risks, warning of “quite a number” in the high-risk category, amid plans to “indefinitely” lock up dangerous terrorists.
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POLICE are watching more than 200 Victorians rated as terrorism risks.
Victoria Police’s new counter-terrorism boss has admitted that more than a “handful” of them were such an extreme risk they may be willing to plan an attack.
Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said: “We still have concerns in that high-risk category because we have quite a number in that category ... who are acting in such a way that it causes us concern.”
When asked about the total numbers classified as persons of interest, he said: “I can comfortably say more than 200.”
The bombshell total comes as the nation’s federal and state leaders yesterday agreed to laws to lock up terrorists indefinitely — even after they serve their jail terms.
The new laws — which could be in place by March — would require a judge to determine the inmate was no longer a threat to the public.
The get-tough measure agreed at a Sydney summit is a response to recent terror incidents, including the death of extremist teen Numan Haider who attacked two counter-terrorism officers in Endeavour Hills in Melbourne’s southeast.
The murder of a civilian police employee and the Lindt cafe siege, both in Sydney, were also factors.
It emerged yesterday that a Sydney man has been charged after walking unchallenged into the Australian Federal Police headquarters armed with a knife.
The 22-year-old was let into the underground carpark after claiming an appointment, then got in a lift with a counter-terrorism officer.
When finally confronted on Wednesday, a knife was seized from him and a samurai sword found in his car.
Mr Guenther said in order to prevent further attacks, his officers aimed to identify the at-risk young men and get to them before they fell completely under jihadi ideology.
“Our mission would be to identify those — particularly young men — who are getting radicalised, to try to intervene with that process.
“Once they cascade to the extreme level it going to be very difficult for us to (have an) impact,” he said.
But Mr Guenther said one of the authorities’ greatest challenges was the rapid time it now took for a youngster to become radicalised and willing to commit a terrorist attack.
“Ten years ago, we were looking at longer periods of planning, where law enforcement had a chance to intervene, disrupt and interrupt.
“More recent examples show the compression time for radicalisation is so quick that at times we don’t see it or have not seen it,” he said.
While the force investigated hundreds of persons of interest, most were in the lower-risk categories and had only just started on the path towards radicalisation.
Those monitored included those who might use violence to further an extreme Right-wing or Left-wing agenda.
Mr Guenther said Islamic State was a well-resourced organisation that had people dedicated to trying to stay ahead of law enforcement.
He said initially IS had sponsored lone-wolf attacks, but after the recent massacre in Paris it was clear it could plot co-ordinated actions.
“That causes us concern obviously, because there is an opportunity for the leanings from that to impact other places in the world,” he said.
“The global nature of the threat is that what happens or could happen overseas can be replicated in Victoria or the rest of Australia.”
To better deal with the escalated threats, Mr Guenther will now preside over a far better resourced counter-terrorism squad.
Last month the Government announced a $50 million boost to Victoria Police’s budget, to hire 88 counter-terrorism experts including 40 dedicated sworn officers.
Some will be hired to trawl social media to map jihadi networks. Others will have expertise in combating encrypted messaging devices.