Australian law enforcement agents in Sydney have found a caravan loaded with explosives and containing a list of Jewish targets, they said on Wednesday.
A major counterterrorism investigation is underway following the discovery, which happened on Jan. 19 and follows a wave of at least 10 antisemitic attacks in Australia in recent months, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters.
The note referencing Jewish addresses and a synagogue contained the words “f*** the Jews,” according to the Daily Mail.
Treating the case as a credible terror threat, police are working to determine the van’s origins, ownership and any associates linked to it, the report said. NSW Police, in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police, the NSW Crime Commission and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, have launched a large-scale investigation involving 100 officers.
Several arrests have already been made, with some of the detained individuals allegedly being connected to prior antisemitic attacks, Hudson said.
“We’re taking this seriously and all lines of inquiry are being pursued, but I want to stress we do not believe there is an ongoing threat from this discovery,” he added.
Authorities are also considering the possibility that the caravan was deliberately placed for police to find. “Some things just don’t add up,” an anonymous source told the Daily Telegraph, citing the conspicuous placement of the vehicle and notes.
“I want to make it absolutely clear—anyone attempting terrorism, violence, or hatred will be met with the full force of the law,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns.
The discovery follows a series of recent antisemitic attacks in Sydney, including arson and vandalism targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions. Federal police suspect that foreign actors recruiting local criminals may be behind some of these incidents.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in a statement on Wednesday said that Jerusalem expects Canberra to “do more to stop this disease!”
“The attempted antisemitic terror attack at a synagogue in Sydney is intolerable. This joins a long list of antisemitic attacks in Australia, including setting fire to a childcare center in Sydney, firebombing a synagogue in Melbourne, and many other antisemitic attacks,” Sa’ar wrote on X.
“The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked,” Jerusalem’s top diplomat added.
