Police in Australia seize explosives they say may have been intended to kill Jews
Australian authorities say they are investigating links to overseas actors as they crack down on antisemitic violence
Protesters hold placards and flags during a rally against antisemitism at The Domain in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 18, 2024. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Police in Australia say they have seized explosives that they believe were intended for a plot to target Jews.
The explosives, as well as material containing details about Jewish institutions, were found earlier this month in a camper van in a suburb of Sydney. Police disclosed the find on Thursday amid rumors of arrests and a steady drumbeat of disquieting antisemitic incidents in the country.
“This would strike terror into the community, particularly the Jewish community, and it must be met with the full resources of the government,” the premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said about the find. “And I want to assure the people of NSW that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Arrests related to the operation were initially made by members of Strike Force Pearl, a police task force launched last month to combat antisemitic violence in Sydney. In recent weeks, local Jews have contended with almost nightly incidents, including graffiti, arson and harassment. A fire accompanied by anti-Israel graffiti at a child care center in a Jewish neighborhood earlier this month stirred particular unease, as did a fire set outside the former home of Alex Ryvchin, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
The harm caused by the seized explosives, were they to detonate, could have dwarfed those incidents, police and local Jewish leaders said.
“This is undoubtedly the most severe threat to the Jewish community in Australia to date,” the Zionist Federation of Australia said in a statement. “The plot, if executed, would likely have resulted in the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil.”
The group is calling for more information about the incident as well as the arrests to be made public.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the suspected planned attack offered evidence that Australia was doing too little to protect its Jews, who number about 100,000 and live primarily in Sydney and Melbourne. “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!” Saar tweeted on Wednesday, extending criticism that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously leveled.
The number of antisemitic incidents reported in Australia last year was four times the number from the previous year, reflecting a spike following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Australian authorities emphasize that they have aggressively sought to investigate and prosecute people suspected of antisemitic violence. Since the launch of Strike Force Pearl, at least nine people have been arrested.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this month said the spate of recent attacks may be funded and organized by overseas actors. Authorities in other countries have pinned antisemitic and anti-Israel attacks on Iran and Russia.
Some Australian Jews are still traumatized from a painful incident that incontrovertibly emanated from within: the mass doxxing a year ago of hundreds of Jewish creatives that led to harassment and threats including against a 5-year-old Jewish child. Activists said they exposed the members of a WhatsApp group, along with their photos and personal information, because some participants lobbied for firing pro-Palestinian figures.
Authorities have also stepped up prosecution of Australian neo-Nazis under new laws enacted last year that increase penalties for people convicted of displaying swastikas and other neo-Nazi symbols.
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