CANBERRA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agreed with police assertion that a caravan full of explosives in Sydney was an act of terrorism.
Authorities in the state of New South Wales (NSW) announced on Wednesday night that the caravan filled with explosives was found in the suburb of Dural -- about 25 km northwest of central Sydney -- on Jan. 19.
Speaking at a press conference, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said that a major investigation had been launched into whether the explosives were intended to be used in an antisemitic attack. NSW Premier Chris Minns labelled the caravan filled with explosives as an act of terrorism.
Asked on Thursday if he agreed with Minns' assertion, Albanese said he "certainly" did.
"It's clearly designed to harm people, but it's also designed to create fear in the community," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.
He said that NSW Police has not yet formally designated it as an act of terrorism but that the counter-terrorism team is investigating the incident.
Inside the caravan police found gel explosives believed to have been obtained from a mining site as well as a document containing antisemitic sentiments and a list of potential targets.
Hudson said that the explosives would have had a blast radius of around 40 meters and could have caused a "mass casualty event".
Peter Dutton, the leader of the federal opposition, said in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday night that the discovery is "as sickening as it is horrifying".
The Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organization and police from the neighboring east coast states of Victoria and Queensland have joined the NSW Police investigation. ■