An incident in the quiet streets of northwest Sydney sent shockwaves through the local community and beyond and has raised serious concerns about public safety and communication between law enforcement and community leaders.
On 19 January, a caravan, seemingly harmless and abandoned by the roadside on Derriwong Rd in Dural, was found to be harbouring a dangerous secret: it was laden with Powergel explosives, enough to create a devastating 40-meter blast wave.
The Jewish community, in particular, was stunned to learn that the caravan contained the address of a synagogue, a revelation that came to light not through official channels, but through media reports that leaked on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Peter Wertheim, Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, expressed his dismay at a media briefing, stating that the first time he and other leaders heard of the incident was through the news.
‘My organisation is an umbrella body for 200 major Jewish organisations across Australia. These are all of the bodies that have regular engagement with government and police on matters of relevance to us, for our community,’ Wertheim explained.
‘I’ve checked. None of us were aware of this beforehand.’
This statement starkly contrasts with NSW Premier Chris Minns’ comments during a Sunrise interview, where he suggested that there had been ongoing daily communication with Jewish community leaders.
During the interview, host Matt Shirvington pressed Premier Minns on why the public was kept in the dark after the caravan’s discovery, saying, ‘This happened on 20th January. On 21st January you were standing in front of a firebombed childcare centre with Anthony Albanese. That’s 10 days ago.’
‘At any point did you think maybe the public need to know about a caravan laden with explosives?’
In defence of the non-disclosure decision, Minss responded, ‘Matt, we would let the public know immediately unless it compromised the police investigation. I want to make it clear, if a counter-terrorism investigation began this afternoon I wouldn’t issue a media release unless NSW Police told me that is what we needed to do for the inquiry.’
‘These are complicated inquiries. There are over 100 police officers these are with the counter-terrorism community in NSW.’
Minns added that the police’s decision ‘needs to be done behind the scenes without talking about methods and tactics that they deploy.’
‘There is a very simple reason for that. So, the criminals don’t know what the police are getting up to.’
The recent incident is part of a worrying trend, with Shirvington noting six anti-Semitic incidents in the last two months. The escalation of such threats is a grave concern for both the Jewish community and the broader Australian society.
Premier Minns acknowledged the severity of the situation, promising that the police would capture those responsible and that communication with potential targets had taken place.
‘Communication has taken place, if not on a daily basis just about that time over the last 12 months. We take this incredibly seriously. I know this is distressing for the Jewish community, for every Australian because this is opposite to the kind of country we want to live,’ he told Shirvington.
The NSW Police, along with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), and the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, are currently investigating the case. While arrests have been made ‘on the periphery’ of the investigation, the full extent of the plot and the individuals involved remain unclear.
Our YourLifeChoices readers, how do you feel about the communication between authorities and the public in situations like these? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below.
Also read: The national response following the ‘evil’ Maroubra childcare centre attack
Blah blah blah, no one hate preacher, not one opera house filth, not one protester and on and on it goes has been arrested, jailed or deported….get serious guys because we are tired of the empty words