A caravan that was found on Sydney’s outskirts allegedly containing explosives and antisemitic material was an act of terrorism, the prime minister and New South Wales premier have said.
NSW police had not officially declared the incident an act of terrorism, but Anthony Albanese, when asked if he classified it as terrorism, stated: “I certainly do. I agree with [the premier] Chris Minns. It’s clearly designed to harm people but it’s also designed to create fear in the community. And that is the very definition.”
Minns said the incident was “a potential terrorist event”. The premier said on Thursday the caravan – which was discovered in Dural on 19 January – and its owner were “in police custody”.
The police commissioner, Karen Webb, said the caravan’s owner was in custody “on unrelated matters”. Webb added “there was no detonator” in the caravan.
The commissioner said on Thursday that people could be charged with terrorism-related offences without NSW police having to make a terrorism “declaration”.
The deputy commissioner, David Hudson, on Thursday reiterated that the threat had been “mitigated”. He said the Powergel explosives found were almost exclusively used in the mining industry.
Hudson said the caravan allegedly contained written notes “with Jewish entities nominated on them”.
Last week, the Australian federal police said “foreign actors” could be behind some of the antisemitic attacks in Sydney with people potentially being paid to commit crimes.
Hudson on Thursday said police were investigating if “some of them are being orchestrated by others – not the individuals”.
“We haven’t identified any of the individuals, of the 10 we’ve charged, with any specific ideology that would cause them to commit the acts that they have [allegedly] committed,” the assistant commissioner said.
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“That indicates to us that they are being orchestrated in some manner. We have identified links between certain jobs, which gives us some indication there is a level of coordination above those [allegedly] perpetrating the offences.”
Meanwhile, another Jewish site in Sydney was hit with antisemitic graffiti overnight – this time a school located a few hundred metres from the childcare centre that was recently attacked in Sydney’s east.
Mount Sinai college in Maroubra and a nearby home were both spray-painted with antisemitic slurs that included calling Jewish people “dogs” and the “real terrorists”.
