SYDNEY
\nAustralia\u2019s spy agency was \u201cstretched\u201d by threats on many fronts in the lead-up to an antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi in December, the nation\u2019s intelligence chief said Monday.
\nSajid Akram and son Naveed are accused of opening fire as Jewish families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people in Australia\u2019s worst mass shooting in decades.
\nTop security official Mike Burgess fronted an inquiry into the shootings, where he was asked about Australia\u2019s counter-terror capabilities.
\nBurgess said the Australian Security Intelligence Organization had been \u201cstretched\u201d by a wide array of threats, ranging from religious extremism to young people radicalized online.
\nBut he said the spy agency still had enough resources to do its job.
\n\u201cWe were not leaving serious matters untreated or uninvestigated,\u201d he told the high-powered Royal Commission inquiry.
\n\u201cAgain, I\u2019d stress, we are not all-seeing and all-knowing.
\n\u201cIn retrospect, I still think that our resourcing was sufficient for the problems we faced,\u201d he added.
\nBurgess will later be grilled on confidential intelligence arrangements in a closed-door hearing.
\nThe mass shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism and widespread anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm.
\nAustralia announced a suite of gun law reforms following the shootings, including a nationwide gun buyback scheme.
\nThe buyback scheme has since stalled as the federal government struggles to convince Australia\u2019s states and territories to sign on.
\nRoyal commissions hold public hearings and can sometimes run for years.
\nThe inquiry is led by Virginia Bell, a widely respected former High Court judge.
\nAlleged gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault.
\nHis 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SYDNEY Australia\u2019s spy agency was \u201cstretched\u201d by threats on many fronts in the lead-up to an antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi in December, the nation\u2019s intelligence chief said Monday. Sajid Akram and son Naveed are accused of opening fire as Jewish families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people in Australia\u2019s worst […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":548396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n