Australians on chilling Islamic State ‘hit list’

TERRORISM expert says Islamic State hit list needs to be taken seriously because previous threats have been made against random members of the public.

THE Islamic State “hit list” needs to be taken seriously especially since previous threats by the death cult have threatened to randomly attack people, a leading terrorism expert says.

Dr Clarke Jones from the Australian National University said the list, which emerged late yesterday, could be sinister if it was found to be legitimately linked to IS.

“It’s nothing to be sneezed at and has to be taken seriously if it is a solid connection to IS.”

Eight ordinary Australians have been included on the ‘hit list’, with terror group figures encouraging them to be killed on sight.

The list — apparently compiled from hacked US government files — features the names, email addresses, phone numbers, home suburbs and passwords of more than 100 Western targets.

Among those named are Australian Defence Officials, public servants from a state health department and even a Victorian MP living in Sydney and regional Victoria. They appear alongside staff from NASA and the FBI.

Dr Jones said even though it appeared the locals targeted weren’t “significant targets” IS had in the past threatened to attack random members of the public.

“We have seen threats of random targets before, in Martin Place, and threats to behead police officer...So if these people have got government connections — and it is a legitimate hack — then that is a concern.”

He said that was the “most solid link” he could to IS modus operandi without it being proven beyond doubt that the hackers were aligned with IS.

A note accompanying the list on social media said: “We are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move.”

“We have your names and addresses ... (We are) passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!”

Counter-terrorism Minister Michael Keenan was briefed by the Australian Federal Police this morning.

The Daily Telegraph reported the personal information may have been accessed after a non-government computer system was hacked — meaning IS hadn’t been able to break into a government system.

Former Melbourne man Neil Prakash has urged his followers to attack people on the list and kill them.

Australia’s top IS recruiter, former Melburnian Neil Prakash, urged his followers to attack. One post he shared with 1100 followers said: “Kill them where you find them and enslave their women.”

The Victorian MP on the list is not someone who has been vocal on national security issues. He told the Telegraph he was confused as to why he was there but said he “wasn’t worried about it. I don’t want to frighten my family or anything.”

Joining him on the list among names from people in NASA, the FBI and the Washington-based State Department, are Australians who work for the health department in Sydney.

Other US officials work with the Environmental Protection Agency or are military personnel, from the Army and the air force.

Most of the Australians on the list were unaware they had been included on it until told by media.

Many of them had their mobile phone numbers, home suburbs and email addresses published. There are at least eight Australians on the list.