Anti-Jewish plot foiled as caravan of explosives found
A huge multi-agency operation is probing a potential terror act after a caravan full of explosives was found alongside a note with addresses of Jewish people.
A caravan full of explosives found beside a semi-rural road had the potential to become a mass casualty event targeting the Jewish community.
For 12 days, the caravan was left beside a property in Dural in northwest Sydney before a resident reported it, sparking a multi-agency probe into the suspected terror plot that could have led to an explosion impact up to 40 metres across.
A note found inside contained addresses of Jewish people and a synagogue and included the words, “f*** the Jews”.
“That caravan contained an amount of explosives and some indication that those explosives might be used in some form of antisemitic attack,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said on Wednesday.
NSW Police was working with the Australian Federal Police, NSW Crime Commission, ASIO, Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service to investigate the incident.
There was no ongoing threat to the community, Mr Hudson said.
Police are treating the incident as a credible terror threat and have assigned more than 100 counter-terrorism detectives to investigate those behind the plot, which was discovered on January 19.
Arrests had been made, with some connected to other alleged antisemitic attacks, Mr Hudson said.
“We have no information that there are further explosives in our community in relation to conducting antisemitic attacks anywhere – we believe that we have contained appropriately this current threat,” he said.
Authorities are probing whether the caravan was abandoned strategically to be discovered by police or whether someone was going to disclose the existence of the explosives.
“At this stage, even though it’s 10 days on into the investigation, we are still unsure of those circumstances and we are pursuing every one of them,” Mr Hudson said.
The explosive material is believed to be power gel sourced from a mining site and could have resulted in a significant amount of damage, the deputy commissioner said.
“We believe that through the arrests that have been made on the periphery of this job … we’ve mitigated the risk as much as possible at this stage,” he said.
“I’m not saying it’s been eliminated. I’m saying it’s been mitigated.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the act, saying the full might of the nation’s law enforcement agencies was being used in the counter-terror taskforce probe.
“NSW Police have people in custody and continue with other agencies … to investigate threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and take action and hold people to account for crimes,” he said.
“Hate and extremism have no place in Australian society.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns, who was briefed on the incident on January 20, promised to throw the state’s resources to confront the threat to the community but defended keeping the discovery secret for 10 days.
“This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There’s only one way of calling it out and that is terrorism,” he said.
“The vast majority of people in NSW find this behaviour abhorrent, appalling against all of the values and beliefs that we share, and we will defeat them.”
Israel’s ambassador to Israel Amir Maimon posted on X: “I’m deeply alarmed by the news of a caravan filled with explosives, intended to carry out a mass casualty attack against the Jewish community in Sydney. This comes just days after International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jews fled to Australia to escape the same hatred that fuels these attacks. I have spoken with Premier @ChrisMinnsMP and the NSW Deputy Police Commissioner who have assured me that every measure is being taken to protect the community. They have made it clear that those responsible for this heinous act will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I have also spoken with @david_ossip, President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, to offer Israel’s full support to the Jewish community of Sydney.”
David Ossip said: “We are monitoring the extremely concerning reports about a caravan laden with explosives which was discovered by authorities in Dural. The caravan allegedly contained a note outlining potential Jewish communal targets.
It goes without saying that this is a matter of the gravest possible consequence.
We have been saying for weeks now that the Jewish community is the target of an ongoing campaign of domestic terrorism. This is now beyond dispute.
We are engaging closely with law enforcement and the Government in relation to this matter and the ongoing security of the Jewish community.”
The Zionist Federation of Australia described the plot as “the most severe threat to the Jewish community in Australia to date”, saying, if executed, would likely have resulted in the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil.
Cars have been set alight, a synagogue burnt down and antisemitic slurs painted on buildings and cars in a spate of attacks that have escalated in frequency and severity since December.
“This is certainly an escalation with the use of explosives that have the potential to cause a great deal of damage,” the deputy commissioner said.
Federal police have identified that foreign actors recruiting local “criminals for hire” could be behind some of the attacks targeting Jewish communities.