In Sydney, authorities are probing the potential connection between explosives found in a caravan and a planned antisemitic attack.
Authorities reported on Wednesday that the explosives had the potential to create a blast radius of 40 meters, resulting in “significant damage.” However, they assured the public that the threat had been contained.
Investigators reported the discovery of a note in the caravan containing antisemitic messages.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the situation as a potential mass casualty event.
During a news conference, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson announced that a caravan was found on 19 January in Dural, a suburb in north-west Sydney.
On Wednesday, the investigation came to light following the leak of details to the media.
Mr. Hudson indicated that there were signs suggesting the explosives could potentially be utilized in an antisemitic attack, though he refrained from specifying any possible target.
He stated that officers had “mitigated the risk as much as possible” while emphasizing, “I’m not saying it’s been eliminated.” The situation has been addressed effectively.
“One of the key points of today’s discussion is to encourage the public to remain vigilant regarding their observations and experiences related to antisemitism within our community.”
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has initiated an investigation.
During an interview with ABC Radio Sydney on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the threat was “clearly designed to harm people” and aimed to “create fear in the community.”
He expressed his agreement with Premier Chris Minns, labeling it as “terrorism.”
NSW Police have not yet classified the incident as terrorism.
Earlier, Albanese announced that New South Wales Police had “people in custody” and were collaborating with the AFP task force focused on investigating antisemitic crimes, known as Special Operation Avalite.
Minns stated that the threat would be addressed with the complete resources of the government.
Recent months have seen a troubling increase in antisemitic attacks across Australia, culminating in this latest discovery.
On Thursday, authorities reported that a Jewish school located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs had been defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
In December, worshippers were compelled to evacuate as flames engulfed Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue.
In a disturbing incident earlier this month, a childcare center in Sydney was engulfed in flames and defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
