Australia’s domestic intelligence chief tells a parliamentary inquiry he shifted resources away from counterterrorism and toward espionage and foreign-related work before the Sydney Hanukkah attack. The testimony concerns actions taken “a few years” earlier, according to reports of the evidence presented to the inquiry. The attack in question occurred when two gunmen killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, an event that has prompted scrutiny of intelligence and security preparedness.
The outlets reporting on the testimony say the spy boss described a change in priorities that reduced emphasis on counterterrorism operations, while increasing focus on gathering intelligence abroad and other espionage activities. The reporting does not indicate that the testimony alone establishes whether the reallocation contributed directly to the attackers’ ability to carry out the killings, but it places the staffing and priority decisions within the timeframe preceding the incident.
All accounts focus on the same core claim: that the agency’s resource allocation shifted away from counterterrorism years before the attack, as presented to the inquiry.
