SYDNEY (AFP) - Right-wing terrorists pose a growing threat in Australia, the country's spy agency has warned, describing the extremist networks as "more cohesive and organised" than ever.
The Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation's (ASIO) annual report released on Wednesday (Oct 16) said extreme right-wing networks are not only better organised now, but also "more sophisticated" than in the past.
"The threat from the extreme right wing in Australia has increased in recent years," it said.
"Extreme right-wing groups in Australia are more cohesive and organised than they have been over previous years, and will remain an enduring threat."
The Christchurch mosque attacks that claimed the lives of 50 people "brought the right-wing extremist threat back into focus", ASIO said.
Suspected white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, an Australian citizen, is accused of carrying out the rampage in neighbouring New Zealand in March.
The spy agency predicted that any future right-wing attack in Australia would likely be "low capability" and carried out by a lone wolf or small group, though it did not rule out the possibility of a "sophisticated weapons attack".
Australia's strict gun laws have been widely credited with helping to avoid mass shootings such as the Christchurch massacre.
ASIO said the overall terrorist threat in Australia "remains elevated" on the basis of intelligence that "indicates an intention and capability to conduct a terrorist attack in Australia".
The collapse of the Islamic State caliphate has not significantly improved threat conditions, the report said, with Sunni Islamic extremism remaining the "principal source" of risk.
"The threat from home-grown terrorism, coupled with the anticipated attempts by some terrorist fighters to return to Australia, remains a matter of the gravest security concern," it said.
Australia introduced controversial new counter-terrorism laws in July that ban citizens who fought for the Islamic State from returning home for up to two years.
The government says 230 Australians travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for the militant group, with 80 men and women still in active conflict zones.
