Australia raises terror alert to 'high'

Australia has raised its terror alert level to "high" for the first time since the national alert system was introduced in 2003.

According to the four-level system, a reading of "high" means a terrorist attack "is likely," however the country's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said no specific threat had been made.

Abbott said that intelligence did not indicate an imminent attack or plot but that there are people within the country who had the means and motivation to do so, referring to the growing influence of jihadists fighting for Islamic extremists ISIS in the Middle East who had recruited Australians to fight.