The head of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, has warned that the country will face greater threats from espionage, foreign interference, and sabotage over the next five years.

In his annual threat assessment, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess warned that multiple countries were “relentlessly seeking information’’ about Australia’s military capabilities.

“Defence personnel are being targeted in person and online. Some were recently given gifts by international counterparts. The presents contained concealed surveillance devices,” said Mr Burgess.

The AUKUS alliance of Australia, the U.S. and Britain would remain a “priority target for intelligence collection, including by countries we consider friendly,’’ Mr Burgess said.

He warned a small number of authoritarian regimes were behaving more aggressively, recklessly and dangerously.

“If the spy game has a rule book, it is being rewritten,” added Mr Burgess. “If there are red lines, they are being blurred or deliberately rubbed out.’’

At least three different countries had plotted to harm people living in Australia, Mr Burgess said.

In one case, a foreign intelligence service wanted to trick a human rights activist into visiting a third country.

“They planned to arrange an ‘accident’ that was anything but accidental, with the objective of seriously injuring or even killing the activist,’’ Mr Burgess said. “Fortunately, ASIO intervened to stop the travel and foil the plot before it occurred.’’

In 2023, intelligence indicated a different hostile foreign intelligence service wanted to harm and possibly kill one or more individuals on Australian soil, he said.

“It goes without saying that plots like these are repugnant,” he pointed out. “They not only involve plans to hurt people obviously bad enough they are shocking assaults on Australian sovereignty and the freedoms we hold dear.’’

(dpa/NAN)