Owner of caravan laden with explosives, allegedly for antisemitic attack in custody

The owner of the caravan found laden with explosives allegedly intended for an antisemitic attack is in custody.

More than 100 counter-terrorism police are investigating after the caravan was found on a property in Dural on January 19.

Stay up to date on the latest news with The National Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

New South Wales deputy police commissioner, David Hudson, said on Thursday to ABC Radio written letters were also found with “Jewish entities” nominated on them were discovered. This caused police to put the incident “in the terrorism space”.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, NSW Premier Chris Minns said the incident was “The number one priority of New South Wales police. We recognise that this is a significant escalation and would worry many members of the community”.

“Nothing will stop until New South Wales police have arrested those who are responsible for this. It’s a very disturbing set of events,” he said.

Although the discovery of the van was made ten days ago, it was decided to keep the matter private.

Mr Minns backed the decision saying police used tactics and methods in these incidents that weren’t spoken about publicly. This ensured criminals weren’t aware of the investigations.

He assured the public that it didn’t mean police were “twiddling their thumbs”.

“Sometimes, experienced police officers … need to conduct their inquiries away from the media spotlight, and I back their judgement in relation to this 100 per cent,” Mr Minns said.

Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on LiSTNR today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.