Owner of caravan of explosives capable of ‘mass-casualty event’ in police custody

The owner of a caravan containing the address of a Sydney synagogue and enough stolen explosives to create a 40-metre blast wave is in police custody.

The owner of the van, which was found at Dural in Sydney’s north-west on January 19, has not been charged in relation to the discovery of the explosives but has been previously arrested for other alleged offending, the Herald understands.

It is unclear how long they have been in custody or what offences they have been charged with.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson on Wednesday evening said no arrests were directly linked to the discovery, but several “around the periphery” of the potential caravan attack had been made. Those people remain in custody, he said.

Those arrested were picked up by Strike Force Pearl, which was established to combat the waves of antisemitic attacks across Sydney. But the caravan plot was so serious, Hudson said, it was escalated out of the strike force and handed to the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team.

Police and NSW Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday evening defended staying silent on the “very serious threat” and potential “mass casualty event” for 10 days, after the investigation by the country’s elite anti-terror team leaked to the media. The revelation comes after waves of antisemitic attacks have rocked Sydney and left the Jewish community shaken.

Police were called to Derriwong Road on January 19 after a local discovered and moved an abandoned caravan filled with explosives. The caravan had been parked on the roadside in a hazardous position between December 7 and January 19.

The Powergel explosives found inside were believed to have been stolen from a mine site and were powerful enough to create a 40-metre blast wave.