EXCLUSIVE THE nation should prepare for a “wave” of attacks by Islamic State sympathisers, with an attack on Australian soil almost certain, ­according to one of world’s top terrorism experts.

Rohan Gunaratna, a leading analyst on Islamic radical movements, said authorities should be acting now to inform and educate the public to ensure, in the event of an attack, there is a “normal reaction” and “appropriate response”, and not an attack on Muslims generally.

“Australia should prepare for not only the continual flow of fighters to Syria and Iraq but also a wave of terrorist attacks on Australian soil,” he said. “It is very likely that there will be low and medium-level ­attacks that will create a very significant impact and will impact the migrant and diaspora communities.” Professor Gunaratna, the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said Australia was in urgent need of a deradicalisation program and called on the Australian Federal Police and state police to do far more in engaging with Muslim communities.

His comments come as Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi raised concerns over a failure by authorities to provide adequate support to young Muslims who had been radicalised, or to the targets and families of last month’s terror raids.