Sidney, Police detain caravan owner with explosives

The owner of a caravan found to contain explosives capable of creating a devastating shockwave has been arrested by Australian law enforcement authorities. The owner of the caravan, located in Dural, a suburb north-west of Sydney, Australia, was found to have an address belonging to a Sydney synagogue. The discovery of the caravan, which had been parked on the side of the road in a dangerous location for several days, was made by a local man. Police were called to the scene, and it was determined that the explosives found in the caravan had been stolen from a mining site and were powerful enough to create a 40-metre shockwave. Further arrests were made in the vicinity of the vehicle. Police and NSW Premier Chris Minns have described the incident as a terrorist attack capable of causing mass casualties. Those arrested by the Pearl Strike Force, set up to tackle escalating anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney, were subsequently transferred to the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team. The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which comprises state and commonwealth agencies including the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Organisation, has been tasked with the investigation. According to NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Dave Hudson, there is no indication of the presence of other explosives in the Sydney community that could be linked to potential anti-Semitic attacks.