Australia’s domestic spy chief says the country may elevate its terrorism threat to the second-highest level within days because of the growing danger posed by Islamic State supporters.

Australian Security Intelligence Organization Director-General David Irvine told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television in an interview late Tuesday that Australia’s terrorist threat level could be lifted from “medium” to “high” before he retires at the end of this week.

He described the current threat as “a very elevated level of medium.”

The Australian terrorist threat level has remained unchanged at medium since the four-tier National Terrorism Public Alert System was introduced in 2003. ASIO on Wednesday could not immediately provide information on whether the threat level had been higher than medium on the previous five-tier system that had existed since 1978.

(AP)