Australian police link explosives and list of Jewish targets to antisemitic plot

Australian police believe explosives found on the outskirts of Sydney are evidence of a deadly escalation in a campaign of arson and antisemitic graffiti waged in major cities for months.

Officers found a list of Jewish targets together with a cache of an explosive used in the mining industry in a trailer in the outer suburb of Dural on January 19, New South Wales state Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said.

Mr Hudson said there were enough explosives to make a bomb with a blast zone of around 40 metres (130ft).

“This is certainly an escalation,” Mr Hudson told reporters, referring to a recent series of antisemitic crimes in Sydney, where businesses and cars have been torched and buildings were daubed with graffiti.

“The use of explosives … have the potential to cause a great deal of damage.”

He said several suspects had been arrested who were not directly related to the explosives. He declined to name the targets.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to nominate the targets,” he added. “I can indicate that the Jewish community will be made aware.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the attempted attack “intolerable” in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked,” he wrote. “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!”

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023, targeted arson and graffiti attacks have soared in Australia’s largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, which are home to 85% of the country’s Jewish population.

A worshipper suffered burn injuries in a fire that was set at a Melbourne synagogue in December. The attack is being investigated by a joint counterterrorism team involving federal and state law enforcement authorities.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said counter-terrorism authorities were also investigating the explosives discovery.

“This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There’s only one way of calling it out and that is terrorism. That’s what we’re very worried about.

“This would strike terror into the community, particularly the Jewish community, and it must be met with the full resources of the government.”