• Australian Federal Police on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country’s national broadcaster.
• The raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 leaked documents published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and gross misconduct in Afghanistan.
• According to the ABC, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.
• News of the ABC raid comes at the heels of a raid of the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country’s national broadcaster over a series of leaked government documents published in 2017, which allege misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.

Video from Sydney Morning Herald Journalist Lucy Cormack shows the moment AFP officers arrived at the ABC headquarters.

ABC reported that the raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 government leaks published by the ABC. The leaked documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and misconduct in Afghanistan, including the killing of unarmed Afghan men in 2012 and the flying of a Nazi flag on an Australian army vehicle.

John Lyons, Executive Editor and Head of Investigative Journalism at the ABC, said on Twitter that AFP handed over a warrant naming two reporters and a news director linked to the publishing of The Afghan Files, including investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark.

Managing Director at the ABC, David Anderson, said in a statement that the raids raised “legitimate concerns over freedom of the press.”

“It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,” Anderson continued. “This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and Defense matters.”

He added that the broadcaster “stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest.”

The AFP said in a statement that they executed a search warrant on the ABC headquarters in relation to “allegations of publishing classified material,” which would constitute a criminal offense.

“All AFP search warrants are authorized by a magistrate or an appropriate member of the judiciary,” the statement said. “This is the result of supporting documentation or material being presented to the court which provides sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed.”

The AFP also stated that “no arrests are planned today as a result of this activity,” and that the activity is not linked to a search warrant executed in Canberra on Tuesday local time.

The Tuesday warrant was for the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.

In a statement, the AFP confirmed to Business Insider Australia that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection “to an investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of national security information.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the AFP’s raid of Smethurst’s home, saying that he was not “troubled” by government agencies upholding federal laws.

“Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press,” he told journalists in London on Tuesday.

“There are also clear rules protecting Australia’s national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament … It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld,” Morrison continued. </s> Australian media and rights groups are crying foul after federal police raided the offices of a national broadcaster over allegations it had published classified material.

The raid Wednesday at the head office of the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Sydney came a day after police raided the home of a senior editor at The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

Police say the two raids are unrelated, but News Corp. Australia, the parent company of The Sunday Telegraph, said the raid "demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths.''

"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way," ABC Managing Director David Anderson said in a statement.

ABC said the raid on its office was in connection with stories it published in 2017 about alleged misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan. News Corp. said the raid on the home of its political editor, Annika Smethurst, was prompted by a 2018 report about plans for surveillance of Australians' emails, text messages and bank records.

The police released a statement saying the raids "relate to separate allegations of publishing classified material, contrary to provisions of the Crimes Act of 1914, which is an extremely serious matter that has the potential to undermine Australia's national security."

The raids come just days after the conservative government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reelected. But Morrison on Wednesday tried to distance himself from the raids.

"Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press, and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press," he said. "There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security, and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament."

Anderson didn't see things the same way.

"This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defense matters," he said. </s> Craig McMurtie, the editorial director of ABC, speaking to the media outside the company’s headquarters in Sydney DAVID GRAY/EPA

A large police raid on the offices of Australia’s national broadcaster has sparked alarm over press freedoms. It was the third operation in a week by state security looking for journalists’ sources.

Federal police raided the Sydney headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with warrants ordering it to produce thousands of documents relating to an investigation into allegations of unlawful killings and brutality by special forces in Afghanistan.

The move came a day after officers raided the Canberra home of the journalist Annika Smethurst in connection with a 2018 story that revealed top-secret plans to expand surveillance of citizens by the Australian Signals Directorate, the government’s cyber-spying agency. Ms Smethurst, the national politics editor of The Sunday Telegraph and other News Corp Australia titles, has… </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police officers arrived at the Sydney headquarters of Australia's public broadcaster on Wednesday morning

A police raid on Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) has drawn fire from broadcasters and rights groups.

Officers arrived at the public broadcaster's Sydney headquarters with search warrants naming two reporters and the news director. The ABC has protested over the raid.

Police searched the home of a News Corp journalist on Tuesday, sparking alarm.

The BBC said it was "deeply troubling" for a broadcaster to be searched.

The leading journalists' union in the country said the two raids represented a "disturbing pattern of assaults on Australian press freedom". Other unions and human rights groups also condemned the actions.

In a statement ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the police raid "raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press".

"The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest."

ABC News director Gaven Morris defended the two journalists who were named along with him in the search warrant.

Why the searches?

The police action is related to articles about alleged misconduct by Australian forces in Afghanistan.

According to the ABC, Wednesday's search is about the 2017 investigative series known as The Afghan Files which "revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan".

The broadcaster said the series was "based off hundreds of pages of secret defence documents leaked to the ABC".

The Australian Federal Police said the warrant was in relation to "allegations of publishing classified material" and that it "relates to a referral received on 11 July 2017 from the Chief of the Defence Force and the then-Acting Secretary for Defence".

Image copyright ABC News Image caption The warrant allows police to access emails, notes, scripts, drafts and other documents

The Afghan Files were published by the ABC on 10 July 2017.

Tuesday's search at the home of newspaper journalist Annika Smethurst related to her 2018 report about a government plan to spy on Australian citizens.

Police said their warrant was linked with "the alleged publishing of information classified as an official secret".

The police said Tuesday's and Wednesday's raids were not connected, adding: "Both however relate to separate allegations of publishing classified material, contrary to provisions of the Crimes Act 1914, which is an extremely serious matter that has the potential to undermine Australia's national security."

It defended its actions, saying they had "been independent and impartial at all times".

ABC journalist John Lyons, who live-tweeted the raid, said that police went through 9,214 documents found on the ABC systems one-by-one, including "thousands of internal ABC emails".

Also on Tuesday, Ben Fordham, a broadcaster for radio station 2GB, said that the government was investigating how he had obtained information that up to six boats carrying asylum seekers had recently tried to reach Australia.

The BBC contacted the home affairs ministry for comment. A spokesperson would not confirm or deny the existence of the investigation.

"The chances of me revealing my sources is zero. Not today, not tomorrow, next week or next month. There is not a hope in hell of that happening," Fordham said.

What reaction has there been?

The raids have been met with widespread condemnation by media outlets and press freedom groups.

The search of Ms Smethurst's home provoked anger from her employer News Corp Australia. The multinational media corporation, owned by press mogul Rupert Murdoch, called the raid "outrageous and heavy-handed" and "a dangerous act of intimidation".

News Corp - whose UK titles include The Times and the Sun newspapers - said the public's right to know was being undermined by the Australian government.

Image copyright ABC Image caption Annika Smethurst reported top secret discussions about new surveillance powers

Peter Greste, director of the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, said Australians who value press freedom will be concerned by the raids.

Mr Greste, a former Al Jazeera reporter, suggested his jailing by the Egyptian government in 2013 on national security charges is "on the same spectrum".

The raids could have a "chilling effect on the right of journalists to carry out their jobs", the National Press Club of Australia said in a statement.

"The scene might be expected in an authoritarian country but not in a democracy," Reporters Without Borders said of the raids on Twitter.

Whistleblowers in the cross-hairs?

by Jay Savage, Australia editor, BBC News website

Australian journalists have reacted furiously, calling the raids "outrageous" and "chilling"; one editor said he'd "never seen an assault on the media as savage".

Police insist that there is no link between the scouring of the ABC and a News Corp Australia journalist's home.

But the timing is more than curious: two raids, on successive days, concerning stories that were published more than a year ago. Each piece explored matters of transparency in clandestine Australian institutions.

Some suspect it is the whistleblowers - not the media - who are actually being targeted.

Political opponents say all of this raises "serious questions" for Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government - which has denied any interference - and there are calls for an urgent inquiry into press freedom.

Others say the media should reflect upon defending all whistleblowers' interests as noisily as it defends itself.

What's the background?

Australia introduced new espionage offences last year that human rights advocates say could be used to target journalists and whistleblowers.

The two raids come weeks after a new centre-right government was elected. In a surprise result, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was returned to office.

He responded to Tuesday's raid on Ms Smethurst's Canberra home by saying that while he supported press freedom, "it never troubles me that our laws are being upheld".

Image copyright EPA Image caption John Lyons (R), executive editor of ABC News, is followed by an Australian Federal Police officer

The opposition Labor party has asked Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to explain the raids.

Mr Dutton said he was only informed of the raids after they had taken place.

"Like all Australians, I believe in the freedom of the press," Mr Dutton said.

"We have clear rules and protections for that freedom of the press and we also have clear rules and laws protecting Australia's national security." </s> Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

Australia's Federal Police raided the offices of the national public broadcaster on Wednesday in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country's military forces were being investigated for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the raid, the second in as many days by police investigating government leaks, raised questions about media freedom in the country.

"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way," ABC managing director David Anderson said in a statement. "This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defense matters."

The raid in a suburb of Sydney came a day after federal police searched the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, the political editor of The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney, over a 2018 story detailing an alleged government proposal to spy on Australians.

News Corp. Australia, the parent company of The Sunday Telegraph, said the raid "demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths".

There were no arrests in either raid.

Australian law forbids officials from disclosing secret information, and the police warrants in both raids were based on a law enacted in 1914.

The police said in a statement that the two raids were not linked.

Anderson said ABC stood by its journalists, would protect its sources and continue to report "without fear or favor" on national security and intelligence issues.

"We will be doing everything we can to limit the scope of this and we will do everything we can to stand by our reporters and as a general observation, we always do whatever we can to stand by our sources of course," ABC Editorial Director Craig McMurtrie said. </s> The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country's national broadcaster over a series of leaked government documents published in 2017, which allege misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.

Video from Sydney Morning Herald Journalist Lucy Cormack shows the moment AFP officers arrived at the ABC headquarters.

ABC reported that the raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 government leaks published by the ABC. The leaked documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and misconduct in Afghanistan, including the killing of unarmed Afghan men in 2012 and the flying of a Nazi flag on an Australian army vehicle.

John Lyons, Executive Editor and Head of Investigative Journalism at the ABC, said on Twitter that AFP handed over a warrant naming two reporters and a news director linked to the publishing of The Afghan Files, including investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark.

Managing Director at the ABC, David Anderson, said in a statement that the raids raised "legitimate concerns over freedom of the press."

"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way," Anderson continued. "This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and Defense matters."

He added that the broadcaster "stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest."

The AFP said in a statement that they executed a search warrant on the ABC headquarters in relation to "allegations of publishing classified material," which would constitute a criminal offense.

"All AFP search warrants are authorized by a magistrate or an appropriate member of the judiciary," the statement said. The AFP later added that the Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, was not notified prior to the execution of the warrants.

The AFP also stated that "no arrests are planned today as a result of this activity," and that the activity is not linked to a search warrant executed in Canberra on Tuesday local time.

The Tuesday warrant was for the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.

In a statement, the AFP confirmed to Business Insider Australia that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection "to an investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of national security information."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the AFP's raid of Smethurst's home, saying that he was not "troubled" by government agencies upholding federal laws.

"Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press," he told journalists in London on Tuesday.

"There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament … It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld," Morrison continued.

Business Insider contacted Australia's Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for comment. </s> Sydney — Police raided the offices of Australia’s national broadcaster on Wednesday over allegations it had published classified material, the second raid on a media outlet in two days, prompting complaints that the “outrageous” raids hindered media freedom.

The Australian Federal Police said its officers carried out a search at the head office of the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Sydney on Wednesday.

That came a day after police raided the home of a News Corp editor, although police said the raids were unrelated.

“It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,” ABC MD David Anderson said. “This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defence matters.”

Police said the ABC raid was in relation to allegations it had published classified material and followed a referral from the chief of the Australian Defence Force and a former acting defence secretary in 2017.

The raid was authorised by a court and based on evidence that provided “sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed”, police said.

Marcus Strom, president of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance trade union, said on his Twitter account the two raids were “just outrageous”. “Police raiding journalists is becoming normalised. It has to stop,” he said.

The raid was in relation to a series of broadcasts in 2017 about alleged misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan, the broadcaster said.

The raid on the News Corp editor related to a 2018 newspaper report that said Australian intelligence agencies wanted to carry out surveillance by accessing people’s e-mails, bank accounts and text messages, domestic media reported.

News Corp called the raid on its employee “outrageous and heavy handed”, and “a dangerous act of intimidation”.

The Rupert Murdoch-controlled company said it had “the most serious concerns about the willingness of governments to undermine the Australian public’s right to know about important decisions governments are making”.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reported as saying he believed in media freedom but that there were also clear rules about the use of classified information. “​It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Morrison as saying. </s> The Australian Federal Police raided the Sydney office of Australia’s public broadcasting company on Wednesday.

The search is believed to be in connection to a 2017 article published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which detailed potential war crimes, including the killing of children and unarmed men, by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, reports the New York . The article was based on leaked military documents.

John Lyons, Executive Editor of ABC News and its Head of Investigative Journalism, gave a play-by-play on his Twitter account, including photos of the police search warrant, an update on ABC’s lawyer’s attempts to push back and photos of the police reviewing ABC emails on a large screen in what appears to be a conference room.

David Anderson, ABC’s Managing Director issued a statement saying the raid raised serious concerns about freedom of the press, and reaffirming ABC’s supports for its journalists.

“The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favor on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest,” said the statement.

The reports that it is illegal for government officials to disclose classified information, which allows the police to investigate, and although journalists do have some legal defense related to protecting sources, courts are able to overrule those protections if it is in the public interest.

The search comes a day after the police searched the home, computer and mobile phone of journalist Annika Smethurst, a politics editor for several of News Corp’s publications, including the Sunday and the Herald , in relation to a 2018 story which exposed the government’s consideration of a plan to spy on citizens.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the search of Smethurt’s apartment as “intimidation” which “poses a great threat to journalists’ independence and to respect for the confidentiality of their sources.”

Australia was ranked 21 out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index. </s> Australia's Federal Police have raided the offices of the national public broadcaster in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country's military forces were being investigated for some of their actions in Afghanistan.

Police said they executed a search warrant Wednesday at the Sydney offices of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation based on a 2-year-old complaint by the then secretary of defense that the broadcaster published classified material.

Australian law forbids officials from disclosing secret information, and the police warrant was based on a law enacted in 1914.

ABC described the raid as a "serious development" relating to the freedom of the press. It was the second such raid against a media company in two days.

ABC is a client of The Associated Press.
Australian federal police raid the headquarters of the country's public broadcaster, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, regarding the alleged publication of classified material in a 2017 report on allegations that Australian Special forces engaged in unlawful killings and gross misconduct in Afghanistan. The day before, police raided Herald Sun journalist Annika Smethurst's home regarding an alleged leak of national security information.