World
Australian spy chief under pressure to name ex-politician who ‘sold out’
The spy chief said a team from an unidentified country had cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician.
Australia’s spy chief is facing calls to name a former politician accused of having “sold out” the country to a foreign power.
Director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said in an annual speech on Wednesday evening that a spy team from an unidentified country had cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician.
“This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime,” Burgess said in a speech in the capital, Canberra.
In his address, Burgess said a foreign intelligence service unit, named “the A-Team”, had made Australia its “priority target” and specifically targeted those with access to “privileged information” by using social networking sites and promising financial rewards.
Burgess added that the unidentified former politician had been recruited “several years ago” and had suggested a plot to introduce a family member of the prime minister into the spy’s orbit, but the plan did not go ahead.
He said police had not charged the person because they were no longer active.
Following the unexpected revelations, Alex Turnbull, the son of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said in an interview on Thursday with news.com.au that he had been approached about an infrastructure project by a group of suspected Chinese agents in around 2017 when his father was in government.
He said the group had links to a former New South Wales state Labour Party parliamentarian without naming the person.
However, current and former members of the opposition party have pushed for the name of the ex-politician to be released to avoid speculations.
Former parliamentary treasurer, Joe Hockey, who also served as the ambassador to the United States, echoed the demands for the ex-politician to be named.
“Mr Burgess, having gone this far, must name that person rather than potentially smear everyone who has served their country,” Hockey wrote on X.
Mike Burgess from ASIO has publicly referred in @smh to an unnamed politician as the agent of a foreign country. Mr Burgess, having gone this far, must name that person rather than potentially smear everyone who has served their country.
— Joe Hockey (@JoeHockey) February 28, 2024
Opposition party leader, Peter Dutton, also said on radio station 2GB: “The trouble is, if he does not indicate the name then there is a cloud hanging over everybody else.”
Australia is a current member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group, which includes the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, making it a target for operatives from countries such as China and Russia.
In 2018, under former Prime Minister Turnbull’s leadership, foreign interference laws were introduced, of which the “key purpose” of the measures was to expose China’s activities.
A Chinese-Australian businessman was sentenced to years and nine months in jail on Thursday for attempting to win favour with a minister – the first sentence given under the interference laws, according to state broadcaster ABC.
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Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in an attack that police have now formally declared a terrorist incident, prompting a major emergency response and an ongoing counterterrorism investigation.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism chief, said the attack has been officially classified as terrorism as investigators work to determine the motive and whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted.
Officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. following reports of multiple stabbings, according to the Metropolitan Police. Local and armed officers responded alongside the London Ambulance Service.
A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody, police said. Authorities are working to determine his nationality and background.
Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are “being looked after,” Taylor said.
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A police officer at the scene where two people were stabbed Wednesday April 29, 2026 in a London neighborhood with a large Jewish community and a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over what authorities called an antisemitic attack. (Lucy North/PA via AP)
Police said the suspect also attacked responding officers before he was subdued with a Taser. No officers were injured.
Counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation, working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture, Taylor said.
“Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened,” Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said.
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The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community. Authorities have indicated the case is being treated as a potentially antisemitic incident, though motive has not been confirmed.
The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community, and police said one line of inquiry is whether the attack deliberately targeted London’s Jewish community, though a motive has not been confirmed.
A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said a man was seen “armed with a knife” on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived. The group claimed the suspect attempted to target Jewish members of the public — a detail police have not independently confirmed.
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Shomrim said two victims were treated by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency medical service.
Police at the scene where two people were stabbed Wednesday April 29, 2026 in a London neighborhood with a large Jewish community and a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over what authorities called an antisemitic attack. (Lucy North/PA via AP)
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers “swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm,” adding that investigators are “considering all possible motives” and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.
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Williams said police are “aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause,” and will remain in the area to carry out inquiries and reassure residents.
The attack comes amid heightened concern over antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom. Authorities are examining recent incidents in London but have not established any direct connection.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents “an attack on Britain,” while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is “no place for antisemitism” in the city.
Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch said, “Jewish people in our country are under constant attack. This is no longer a growing pattern. There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people. It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities.”
Dov Forman, a Golders Green resident and Holocaust educator, described the attack as part of what he sees as a broader and deeply concerning trend.
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Police officers work by cordon at the junction of Golders Green Road and the North Circular Road, in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London, on April 29, 2026. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
“Yet again, terror has been brought to our doorstep here in Golders Green, in the heart of London’s Jewish community,” Forman said. “Earlier today, two visibly Jewish men were stabbed in what is being described as an antisemitic attack. For many, this is not being seen as an isolated act of violence, but as part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern. There is growing concern that extemist rhetoric and Islamist extremism, including calls to ‘globalize the intifada,’ has helped fuel an environment in which hatred against Jews is increasingly normalized, unchecked, and dangerously emboldened.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “horrified by yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London” and called for urgent action.
“No Jew anywhere in the world should be a target because of their faith,” Herzog said, adding that authorities must act “before the next antisemitic attack occurs.”
Authorities urged anyone with information to contact police as the investigation continues.
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The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, according to the Community Security Trust. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, Jewish groups said, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.”
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A man was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on social media.
It added that two people were stabbed and were being treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service.
The incident happened in Golders Green, a part of London that is home to a large Jewish community.
“There has been a knife attack today in Golders Green. The suspect has been arrested,” the Community Security Trust added on X.
“We are working closely with the police and urge anyone with information to contact the police, Shomrim and CST immediately,” said the charity, which provides safety advice and security to Jewish groups and buildings such as synagogues.
Starmer told lawmakers in parliament that a police investigation was underway and “we all need to…be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently”.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack and confirmed that police had arrested someone.
“There has been an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners in Golders Green. The police have made an arrest and I’d like to thank all the emergency services and heroic volunteers…for their swift response,” Khan said in a post on X.
“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks. There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”
The incident comes in the wake of a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London in recent weeks.
The first attack in late March saw four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola charity set ablaze.
Other incidents have followed, including an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow as well as the premises of a Jewish charity.
Last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted.
Police have arrested 26 people for the various attacks, launched since the start of the US-Iran war on Iran on 28 February.
Many of the incidents have been claimed by a little-known group, believed to be linked to Iran, called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
Israel’s foreign ministry urged the UK government to take swift action against antisemitism after the stabbings.
“After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control,” the ministry wrote on X.
“Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across United Kingdom…Enough words. The UK must act decisively and urgently.”
Additional sources • AFP
Andrie Yunus, an outspoken critic of the military’s expanding power in Indonesia, was riding his motorbike last month in Jakarta when two men rode past and threw acid in his face. He suffered burns to 24 percent of his body and damage to his right eye.
The ambush, which recalled Indonesia’s decades under a military dictatorship, was captured on street surveillance cameras. Within days, the authorities arrested four members of a military intelligence unit — a captain, two lieutenants and a sergeant. Their trial in a military court began Wednesday.
But human rights activists say that many more people were involved in the attack, and that the rush to try the four men is part of an attempt to shield the mastermind who authorized it.
“This was an intelligence operation,” said Fadhil Alfathan, a member of the Advocacy Team for Democracy, a coalition of rights groups backing Mr. Andrie. “It was a well-planned and well-trained operation, starting with surveillance, stalking, then tailing, execution and escape.”
The assault on Mr. Andrie, 27, the deputy coordinator for the prominent rights group, Kontras, is reminiscent of the brutality of the 32-year dictatorship under Suharto, who stepped down in 1998 in the face of massive pro-democracy protests. Now rights activists fear that the military’s influence is growing again under the current president, Prabowo Subianto, Suharto’s former son-in-law and once a widely feared general.
Mr. Andrie’s supporters say the acid attack on the evening of March 12 was a premeditated attempt to kill him because of his criticism of the military’s increasing role in government, including a law adopted after Mr. Prabowo took office that allows active armed forces officers to hold more government posts.
More than 420 rights groups and hundreds of activists around the world have signed a statement condemning the attack and calling for it to be investigated “thoroughly and transparently.”
The police conducted an initial investigation of the attack and quickly identified two suspects who belonged to the military.
The Advocacy Team for Democracy obtained and analyzed street surveillance videos from the weeks before the assault and concluded that at least 16 operatives were involved in following and surveilling Mr. Andrie.
Mr. Prabowo promised a thorough investigation.
“This is a barbaric act, we must pursue it,” the president said in remarks released a week after the attack. “We must investigate. Who ordered them, who paid.”
Days later, the general who headed the military’s main intelligence arm, the Strategic Intelligence Agency, quietly resigned. He is not known to be facing any charges.
But on March 31, the police announced that the case had been transferred to the military, which meant that military prosecutors would have the ability to limit the scope of the investigation and determine what information is made public.
Mr. Andrie came to public attention in March of last year when he led a small group of protesters who barged into a closed parliamentary meeting at a luxury hotel in Jakarta. The lawmakers were discussing the measure to let active military officers hold government posts.
In a scene captured on video, Mr. Andrie railed against the legislation before security officers pushed the protesters from the room.
The measure was later approved by Parliament and signed into law by Mr. Prabowo.
In a letter this month to Constitutional Court judges who are reviewing the law,Mr. Andrie objected to the transfer of the assault case to a military court, saying such courts have been “a hotbed of impunity for soldiers who commit human rights violations.”
“In this case, if it is not tried in the public court,” he added, “it is a serious violation of the principle of equality before the law.”
The military prosecutor handling the case announced in mid-April that the attack by the four operatives was motivated by a “personal vendetta” against Mr. Andrie.
The suspects are charged with assault causing serious injury and premeditated assault. They face a maximum of 12 years in prison.
Mr. Andrie has been hospitalized since the attack. He has not been interviewed by anyone from the police or the military, said Lakso Anindito, a lawyer from the Advocacy Team for Democracy who is representing him.
Mr. Lakso said he does not expect that his client will be called to testify.
He said he believes the attackers moved to silence him a year after the hotel protest because he was relentless in his criticism of the military and the 2025 law.
“It’s because Andrie never stops,” he said. “He is persistent in fighting this law. And an attack like this doesn’t just happen. It takes at least two months for them before it leads to that day.”
The attackers were so bold that they rode up to him and threw acid in his face despite the visible presence of numerous surveillance cameras in the area.
One video that captures Mr. Andrie seconds after the ambush shows him jumping off his motorbike, ripping off his shirt and screaming in agony as a crowd quickly gathers. Doctors say he suffered severe chemical burns on his face, hands, neck and chest. His helmet and visor saved him from even more serious harm.
Doctors have operated on Mr. Andrie five times in an effort to save the sight in his right eye.
In a letter to the president, Mr. Andrie called on him to ensure that the trial of his accused attackers adheres to the principle of due process, free from “corrupt interests.”
“This case is not solely about me,” he concluded, “but about the state’s commitment to protecting its citizens and upholding the law fairly.”
Indonesia has a history of impunity in the handling of attacks on human rights activists and corruption fighters.
The assault on Mr. Andrie is similar to a 2017 acid attack against a leading anti-corruption investigator, Novel Baswedan. Two police officers were found guilty of splashing sulfuric acid in Mr. Novel’s face as they rode by on a motorbike. The attack left him blind in one eye and half-blind in the other.
Mr. Novel, a senior investigator for Indonesia’s respected Corruption Eradication Commission, has said he was never able to determine who was behind the attack but believes it was someone he investigated. The police officers were sentenced to 18 and 24 months.
Mr. Andrie’s case also recalled the 2004 murder of Munir Said Thalib, the Kontras founder. Mr. Munir, a prominent critic of the military, was poisoned with arsenic while flying from Jakarta to Amsterdam and died before the plane landed. An off-duty Garuda airline pilot was found guilty of planning the murder but allegations that the state intelligence agency was behind the killing were never fully investigated.
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