Major terror attack is ‘inevitable’

A MAJOR terror attack in Australia is “inevitable”, NSW Police counterterrorism boss Mark Murdoch says.

“I don’t like to say it, but it will happen. It’s inevitable,” said Assistant Commissioner Murdoch, the head of the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command.

“Despite everything that is being done and the good work that law enforcement and intelligence is doing, without wanting to create unnecessary fear within the community, it’s going to happen.”

Since December 2014, police in Sydney have swooped to neutralise three cells of committed jihadis.

But the risk lay in the lone wolves or groups authorities don’t know about, such as the alleged plot to blow up an Etihad flight out of Sydney in July, Mr Murdoch said.

Khaled Khayat, 49, and Mahmoud Khayat, 32, are in custody charged over an alleged plan to smuggle a bomb on board hidden in a kitchen meat mincer.

“We can manage what we know but not what we don’t know and that’s where the risk lies,” Mr Murdoch said.

The threat level remains at “probable”, meaning there is a credible intelligence that individuals or groups have developed both an intent and capability to conduct a terrorist attack.

He said it was impossible to shut down online giants such as Google and Facebook that were used to lure new, young recruits.

“ASIO tells us that the profile (of a terrorist) is a lone wolf, small groups, rudimentary weapons easily accessible like knives, firearms and cars,” he said.

“So that’s their threat profile and then all of a sudden we get something like a meat grinder.

“What that tells us is that while we are pointed in a particular direction by intelligence sources, we need to maintain an open mind because in this business anything can happen at any time.”

Police moved swiftly when tipped off by British intelligence about the alleged plan to bomb the Etihad A380 by the men, who were not even on their radar.

“You ask yourself if you are doing everything you possibly can to avoid an attack. When you go home you don’t switch off,” Mr Murdoch said.

He retires in seven weeks.