Note reveals alleged antisemitic terror plot targets
Two suspected targets of an alleged terror plot have been revealed following the discovery of a caravan packed with mining explosives.
The abandoned caravan was found on a semi-rural road in Sydney’s north-west outskirts and reported to authorities on January 19.
It sparked a major, multi-agency investigation linked to a recent spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
Late Thursday, it was reported that a note found inside the caravan listed two prominent Jewish sites in Sydney.
Sky News Australia revealed the locations were The Great Synagogue and the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst.
Police have not confirmed these details.
The find prompted state and federal leaders to brand the incident a potential terrorist event.
However, authorities cautioned there was no ongoing danger and ASIO left the national terror threat level unchanged.
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The Great Synagogue in Darlinghurst was reportedly listed on a note. Photo: Google Maps
The allegations against the man are linked to escalating antisemitic incidents in Sydney.
He and his partner were allegedly named on a search warrant for a Dural property near where the caravan was found.
The woman had already been charged over an antisemitic incident and allegedly used social media to buy the vehicle.
She is also in custody after being accused of being part of an antsemitic attack in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that included “Kill Israiel” (sic) being sprayed on buildings and footpaths.
In December, a social media account in her name posted: “Anyone got a caravan for sale need one ASAP I’ve got $$$.”
Police said a significant store of Powergel, an explosive typically used on mining sites, was inside the caravan — enough to create a 40-metre-wide blast zone.
No detonator was found inside. However, there was a list of Jewish-linked sites.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said the caravan’s registered owner was already in custody on “peripheral charges” at the time.
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Details of the find were made public only on Wednesday afternoon, 10 days after the caravan was reported to police, when media reported it.
The investigation had already been “significantly compromised” by media leaks, forcing a rethink of investigators’ strategies, Hudson said.
Robert, the owner of the Dural property near where the caravan was parked, said he had driven past the vehicle several times and thought nothing of it.
“Someone pulls up outside your house with some explosives — would you be frightened?” he said.
Authorities would also not be drawn on any potential links between the caravan find and the influence of foreign actors, who federal investigators have said could be behind some of the recent antisemitic attacks in Australia.
Despite the escalation in antisemitic incidents, the national intelligence and security agency opted not to lift the terrorism threat level from “probable”.
“We have seen a disturbing escalation in the targeting of Jewish interests, and a disturbing escalation in the severity and recklessness of the targeting, with general harassment and intimidation moving to the targeting of people and places,” ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said.
“The current terrorism threat level is the same as it was at the height of the Islamic State caliphate.
“While the caravan matter in NSW remains under police investigation, ASIO does not believe there is an ongoing threat to public safety.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the chorus of politicians to condemn those behind the potential bomb plot, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton repeated his calls for tougher action to crack down on antisemitic crimes.
NSW police are also investigating three separate antisemitic graffiti incidents in Sydney overnight on Wednesday, including the apparent targeting of Mount Sinai College, a Jewish primary school in the city’s east.
They follow a spate of recent attacks, including the arson of a childcare centre near a synagogue, the targeting of a Jewish community leader’s former home and the spray-painting of antisemitic slurs in various prominent locations.
-with AAP
