Why police kept Sydney’s anti-Semitic terror plot a secret from the Prime Minister

He’s the leader of the nation, but Anthony Albanese was kept in the dark for more than a week about a foiled terror plan unfolding in Sydney. We reveal why.

Anthony Albanese is facing questions over why he was kept in the dark over a Sydney terror plot when his Labor NSW counterpart, Premier Chris Minns, was briefed.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson responded to the revelations in The Daily Telegraph calling it an “alarming breakdown of our national security”.

“This is an alarming breakdown of our national security architecture. If the PM and ministers are not told about a planned terrorist attack, how can they make the necessary policy decisions to protect the community from other threats?” Mr Paterson said.

“Anthony Albanese must explain today why Chris Minns knew and he did not.”

It is understood police did not deem it necessary to inform the Prime Minister because they wanted to keep the investigation under tight security.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was not briefed on the planned terror attack on prominent Jewish sites in Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

On Thursday, Mr Albanese repeatedly refused to reveal when he was briefed on the attack saying he does not comment on operation matters.

“I don’t comment on operational matters. There are two issues that are my priority. The first is making sure that people are kept safe. The second, which is related to that, is making sure that any investigations aren’t undermined and that the police and national security agencies are able to do their work,” he said.

“I get ongoing briefings. Every day I get a national security briefing. And indeed, just this morning, we had a full meeting of the National Security Committee.”

When contacted about the claims from senior police sources, Mr Albanese’s office directed the Telegraph to his comments.

Protocol dictates that the Prime Minister does not need to be informed unless there is an immediate threat to national security.

The van and explosives were already in custody which meant police felt there was no immediate threat, the Telegraph understands.

On Thursday, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) boss Mike Burgess kept Australia’s terror level at probable despite the discovery.

“While ASIO keeps the national terrorism threat level under constant review, I do not anticipate changing the threat level from probable in the immediate future,” director-general Mike Burgess wrote in a statement.

Derriwong Road in Dural near where a caravan was found that apparently contained explosives and anti-Semitic material. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The caravan discovery has left Sydney’s Jewish community reeling with Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who is of Jewish faith and in whose electorate the grim findings were made, said there was a “sense of anger, abandonment but also defiance”.

“We will continue to live in this country, we will continue to make this our home as Jewish Australians,” he said.

“The explosives in this caravan could have killed hundreds of people.”

It comes as Treasurer Jim Chalmers was forced to apologise after saying a series of anti-Jewish attacks and the discovery of the caravan showed that “some of the fears that Jewish Australians have right now are not unfounded.”

“My intention was to share and acknowledge the very real and understandable fears and concerns in the Jewish community in light of recent events. I could have and should have expressed that more clearly and I’m sorry I didn’t,” Mr Chalmers said after this comments were criticised by Jewish leaders.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the planned attack as “intolerable” and criticised the Albanese government’s handling of anti-Semitism.

“The epidemic of anti-Semitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked,” he wrote on X.

“We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!”

Originally published as Why police kept Sydney’s anti-Semitic terror plot a secret from the Prime Minister