Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled the discovery of a caravan packed with explosives as terrorism, but has called for the incident not to be used to “make political points”.
The caravan was found in Dural, in Sydney's north-west on 19 January, allegedly filled with powder gel explosives, with antisemitic material found on site, along with a list of targets.
The federal party member who represents the suburb where police discovered the caravan said he was "deeply disturbed" by the potential terror plot targeting the Jewish community.
Julian Leeser, a Liberal party member and Jewish man, called on Australians to check in on their Jewish friends and colleagues and praised the “goodness, decency and stoicism of Jewish Australians” in the face of hatred.
The explosives had the potential for a “mass casualty event” and the owner is in custody on “unrelated matters”, New South Wales police said in a press conference.
They also confirmed the investigation was a joint effort between state and federal forces, including Australian Federal Police, the NSW Crime Commission, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service.
ASIO confirmed they will not lift Australia's terror threat level above “probable” at this time.
Speaking to press today, Anthony Albanese defended his decision to convene a national security committee meeting 11 days after the discovery, but the Coalition's home affairs spokesperson James Patterson is calling on him and the home affairs minister to disclose when they were first briefed on the matter.
"I don't intend to go through operational matters, nor do we go through the detail of what's discussed at cabinet meetings, or national cabinet meetings, or national security committee meetings," Mr Albanese said.
“This is a time for unity and for the country to come together against these atrocities and this appalling act.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called the terrorist plot “predictable” as result of Albanese not standing up to rising antisemitism and antisemitic attacks in recent months across the nation.
In a social media post on Wednesday night, Dutton said the planned terror plot was the result of an “insidious rise of unchecked antisemitism”.