Australia to detain terrorists indefinitely

High-risk terror offenders may be kept in jail after their sentences finish, Australian officials said Monday as they move to tighten security laws following attacks in the United States and Europe.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the proposed changes were prompted by an increase in the frequency and severity of attacks around the world as he noted the recent mass shooting in Orlando and a lorry attack in Nice, France.

“In the wake of Orlando, Nice, and other terrorist incidents, as well as our own experience... We cannot afford for a moment to be complacent,” Mr Turnbull said.

In response to the evolving threat, he said Australia, which has already ramped up security laws since 2014, would move to keep high-risk terrorists in detention beyond the completion of their sentences. “This legislation will enable additional periods of imprisonment for terrorist offenders who have served their sentences but are still judged to present an unacceptable risk to the community,” he said in a statement.

The proposal, to be discussed with state and territory officials who must then pass legislation, is similar to arrangements already in place for sex offenders and extremely violent individuals in some states. Attorney-general George Brandis said the extension of detention would be a court supervised process with regular reviews and reassessments. Mr Brandis said the government would also move to lower the age at which people can be subject to a control order from 16 to 14.