AFP raid home of News Corp journalist over national security reporting
Police have raided the home of a News Corp journalist over her reporting on a top secret government proposal to give unprecedented powers to Australia's cyber spies.
Australian Federal Police officers presented Annika Smethurst, the national political editor of News Corp's Sunday tabloids, with a search warrant on Tuesday morning.
The warrant granted officers authority to access her home, computer and mobile phone.
The actions are in connection to an April 2018 story that revealed internal government discussions about giving electronic intelligence agency the Australian Signals Directorate greater power to respond to threats on Australian soil.
The reporting included photos and details from a top secret internal document proposing new abilities to "proactively disrupt and covertly remove" onshore threats by "hacking into critical infrastructure".
The federal police confirmed the execution of a search warrant on Tuesday as part of an "investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of national security information".
In a statement, the police said they would allege the disclosure of "these specific documents undermines Australia's national security".
"No arrests are expected today as a result of this activity," the statement said.
News Corp has been approached for comment.
More to come