Posted on 09/11/2014 9:13:40 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Edited on 09/12/2014 7:58:42 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
(CNN) -- Australia has raised its terror alert level to "high" for the first time since the national alert system was introduced in 2003.
According to the four-level system, a reading of "high" means a terrorist attack "is likely," however the country's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said no specific threat had been made.
"This does not mean a terror attack is imminent, we have no specific intelligence of particular plots. What we do have is intelligence that there are people with the intent and capability to mount attacks," Abbott said at a press conference in Canberra on Friday.
What does "high" mean?
Australia introduced its alert system in 2003, with four levels of risk: low, medium, high and extreme. It's been at "medium" since the system began, and is defined as meaning a "terrorist attack could occur."
The elevation to "high" would not make much difference to daily life for most people, the prime minister said.
"What people would probably notice though is more security at airports, more security at ports, more security at military bases, more security at government buildings and more security at large public events," he said.
snip
This does not mean an attack is imminent (that would be an ‘EXTREME’ level - one step higher) and they have been talking about doing this for some days.
When, oh when will they stop those Norwegian Tea Party troublemakers? Now they’re all the way Down Under...
the outback is a vast place
lots of dingos , hungry dingos
Our terror alert system had it’s tail between it’s legs.
I think the Obama regime raised ours to Partly Cloudy with a 10% chance of rain.
Let me guess, Obama is too buys to care.
No, our leader has raised the alert to spontaneous combustion imminent, I believe that is level gore!
LOL!
LOL!
Britain raised their terror alert a couple weeks ago. Australia has been talking about raising theirs as well for just as long but strangely held off until the day AFTER 9/11 and just minutes after 9/11 expired on the East Coast of the US.
I can’t help but think Obama was pressuring the Aussies not to raise it so he wouldn’t look bad.
Aussie officials were all talking about an “elevated” and “direct” threat to Australia the last couple days yet they refused to officially raise the level until now.
Bump
Your PM recently agrred to help us with ISIS. Related? I think so.
Always curious why countries announce their security alerts and the measures they take in such occasions. Why not be as secretive as the terrorists and keep them guessing?
When the alert reaches Crikey Level.. muzzies start just disappearing..
Partly because security relies on people reporting what they see and hear - and people are more likely to do so if they know the threat is considered real. Also, some security measures become noticeable even if you don’t want them to - better people know why they are happening.
And the bottom line - in a free country, governments should only withhold information from the public if there is a very good reason to do so - security can sometimes justify that, but it doesn’t automatically do so.
Consider this - if the threat has nothing to do with the September 11 date, then there’s no reason to raise the alert level just because of that date - and doing it on that date without a good reason could lead people to erroneously conclude that that date was the reason behind the alert - and so may decide that something that happened after that date is unimportant and not report it.
Personally I am more worried about the football finals - we know they have been potential targets in the past - and October 12.
And I do not believe that Tony Abbott would have delayed an announcement to spare President Obama embarrassment - besides the fact that lives could be at risk, just in terms of simple politics, Mister Abbott cares more about his own political future than President Obama’s - I think he’d do the right thing for the right reasons anyway, but even if he wasn’t the man I think he is, then self interest would rule the day.
From your article:
“Mr Abbott said the Government has “no specific intelligence” of a plot to mount a terrorist attack.
“What we do have is intelligence that there are people with the intent and the capability to mount attacks,” he said.”
Sounds like they’re going to round up some islamonazis in the next few days.
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