A Yemen-based affiliate of Al-Qaeda has glorified the Bondi Beach massacre and urged supporters in Western countries to carry out similar attacks.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP, has used images and footage from the 14 December terrorist attack on a Chanukah celebration to promote self-directed violence.
The Sunday Telegraph reported today that a recent AQAP video opened with footage of alleged attackers Sajid and Naveed Akram and called for attacks in Western democracies.
A masked speaker reportedly described such attacks as a “golden opportunity” and argued they were difficult for security agencies to prevent.
The newspaper said the video called on followers to attack Western and Jewish targets and claimed an operation carried out in a Western country could have a greater impact than several attacks in the Middle East.
The video has not been publicly confirmed in detail by Australian authorities. However, separate AQAP material praising the Bondi attack has been documented by counter-terrorism researchers.
AQAP’s propaganda arm released an English and Arabic edition of its Inspire Guide on 28 March. The publication praised the alleged attackers, presented the massacre as a model for others and included instructions for making an explosive device.
The propaganda described the two men as “knights” and called the Bondi attack a standard for supporters living in Western countries to follow.
The massacre killed 15 people and wounded dozens at a Chanukah event near Bondi Beach.
Police allege Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, opened fire on the gathering. Sajid Akram was killed at the scene, while Naveed Akram survived and has been charged with 15 counts of murder, committing a terrorist act and other offences. The charges against Naveed Akram have not been determined by a court.
Australian authorities said early evidence indicated the attack was inspired by Islamic State. There is no public evidence that AQAP planned, directed or assisted it.
AQAP has instead seized on the attack to promote its own campaign and encourage further violence.
The organisation operates mainly in Yemen and is a recognised affiliate of al-Qaeda. Australia first listed it as a terrorist organisation in November 2010.
An Australian Government assessment says AQAP remains committed to encouraging attacks against Western interests, including Australia, although it has identified no corroborated links between the organisation and Australian individuals.
The propaganda comes amid warnings that violent extremists are increasingly being radicalised online and acting with little warning.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said this week that extremists were adopting mixed ideologies and could move from online material to violence within weeks.
He said ASIO and its partners had disrupted 31 major terrorist plots since 2014 and resolved 14 significant terrorism-related cases since the Bondi massacre.
The 14 cases were not described as being connected to the Bondi investigation.
“These dynamics make the contemporary terrorism environment different, and in some ways more difficult, than we saw with al-Qaeda and ISIS,” Burgess said.
Australia’s national terrorism threat level remains at “probable”, meaning there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of an attack or planned attack in the next 12 months. However, Burgess recently stated that the current “probable” terrorism threat level no longer fully reflected the danger facing Australia, warning that politically motivated violence was now more likely than the term suggested.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the AQAP material showed the threat could enter Australia online as well as across its borders.
“This is why I’ve been saying we need to be concerned not only about what’s coming over the border but also what’s coming through the browser,” Burke told The Sunday Telegraph.
The Federal Government has committed $74 million over two years to establish a Counter Terrorism Online Centre jointly led by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police.
The AQAP propaganda has emerged ahead of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion’s third public hearing block, which begins in Sydney tomorrow, Monday 29 June.
This hearing block will run until 10 July and examine antisemitic content, hateful speech and extremist material online, as well as antisemitism in traditional media and broadcasting.