Australian police find explosives they suspect are part of an antisemitic plot

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian police suspect explosives stashed on Sydney’s outskirts were evidence of a deadly escalation in a campaign of antisemitic arson and graffiti crimes that has been waged in major cities for months, officials said on Wednesday.

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

Hudson said there were enough explosives to make a bomb with a blast of 40 meters (130 feet).

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

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

Hudson declined to identify the potential Jewish targets.

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

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

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 who suffered burn injuries in a fire that was set at a Melbourne synagogue in December last year is the only human casualty. That arson attack is being investigated by a joint counterterrorism team involving federal and state law enforcment authorities.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said counterterrorism 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,” Minns said.

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

Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press