Investigation underway after caravan found with explosives and antisemitic message
"Horror and fury in Australia as epidemic of violence against women sweeps across the country"
Related: Australian police link explosives and list of Jewish targets to antisemitic plot World Jan 29, 2025 2:30 PM EST MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian police believe explosives found on Sydney’s outskirts were evidence of a deadly escalation in a campaign of antisemitic arson and graffiti crimes that has been waged in major cities for months, officials said on Wednesday. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/australian-police-link-explosives-and-list-of-jewish-targets-to-antisemitic-plot
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the caravan was believed to be part of an "attempted antisemitic attack".
NSW Premier Chris Minns (pictured) said the possible terror threat was "abhorrent and appalling". Source: AAP / Steven Saphore
A caravan has been discovered filled with explosives and a note containing addresses of Jewish people and institutions.
The vehicle was found by a resident at a property in Dural in northwest Sydney on 19 January.
The note reportedly found inside the caravan contained addresses of Jewish people and a synagogue, and included the words, "f--- the Jews".
Police are treating the incident as a credible terror threat as they continue to investigate those behind the plot but have not formally declared it a terrorist incident.
NSW Police is working with the Australian Federal Police, NSW Crime Commission, ASIO, Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service to investigate the incident, NSW Police deputy commissioner David Hudson said on Wednesday.
"This is an ongoing investigation and is being taken seriously with all lines of inquiry being pursued," he said in a statement.
There was no ongoing threat to the community from the foiled plot, he said.
Arrests had been made "around the periphery", with some connected to other alleged antisemitic attacks, but those responsible remain at large, Hudson added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he "unequivocally" condemns the plot and the "full might of the AFP, ASIO and NSW Police" were being utilised in the investigation.
"Hate and extremism have no place in Australian society," Albanese said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said in a statement that the explosives were believed to be part of an "attempted antisemitic attack" and called it "abhorrent and appalling".
"I want to make it incredibly clear that anyone attempting this level of violence will be met with the full force of a massive and growing police response," Minns said.
"The public can be assured that the NSW Police will not stop until these people are defeated and put behind bars."
Jewish organisations speak out
Several Jewish groups have condemned the foiled plot.
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said in a statement the discovery was "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," Ossip said.
In a statement, the Zionist Federation of Australia said it was "the most severe threat to the Jewish community in Australia to date", calling it "yet another manifestation" of violence targeted at Australia's Jewish community.
String of antisemitic attacks in Sydney
The incident comes after a spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney, with a childcare centre near a synagogue in the city's east set alight and sprayed with antisemitic graffiti on 21 January.
Four days before, a house that formerly belonged to Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin was targeted in an arson and graffiti attack.
VIDEO - - Federal police considering potential overseas links to rise of anti-semetic attacks 22 Jan 2025, 5:19 pm
Federal police have identified that foreign actors recruiting local "criminals for hire" could be behind some of the attacks targeting Jewish communities.
Cars have been set alight, a synagogue burnt down and antisemitic slurs painted on buildings and cars in attacks that have escalated in frequency and severity since December.
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