A quiet, semi-rural road has been thrust into the international spotlight after a resident found a caravan laden with explosives by the roadside, potentially foiling an anti-Semitic terror plot.

Police swarmed the green, sleepy Derriwong Rd in Dural, about 45 minutes northwest of Sydney’s city centre, after the caravan was reported to authorities on January 19.

The media pack also descended on the usually tranquil street on Thursday after news broke the previous evening of the alarming find, which included a list of Jewish-linked sites.

Robert, the owner of a property near where the caravan had been parked, categorically denied that either he or his tenants – two elderly women – had anything to do with the potential terror plot.

The women had lived at the house for 20 and five years respectively, he said.

‘(The caravan) was never, ever on the property, it was up the road,” said Robert, who declined to give his last name.

‘The implication (is) that explosives, detonators were kept on the property.

‘They weren’t, they were in the caravan that has no relation to us.”

Grady, another local resident who did not want to give his full name, said he saw scores of police on the neighbouring property on January 21, but he didn’t think about it again until he saw news on Wednesday night of the explosives being discovered.

He had no recollection of seeing the caravan, adding that people parked all kinds of vehicles on the road quite regularly.

A joint counter-terrorism investigation has been launched involving 100 officers from state and federal agencies.

Police appeal for information from anyone who saw the caravan sitting by the side of the road for a six-week period, starting from December 7.

The vehicle contained enough Powergel explosive – typically used on mining sites – to create a 40 metre-wide blast, authorities said.

Its registered owner was already in custody before the explosives were discovered on unrelated charges stemming from previous investigations into a spate of anti-Semitic attacks.

Robert said he had driven past the vehicle a number of times and thought nothing of it.

‘I’ve passed it two or three times … I didn’t know why it was sitting there,” he said.

‘Someone pulls up outside your house with some explosives – would you be frightened?’

Local federal MP Julian Leeser was also at the scene on Thursday morning and called for anyone who could help with the investigation to speak out.

‘To see these daily attacks on the Jewish community, on its institutions, on its childcare centres, on schools, on its synagogues, is something that people in the Jewish community are angry about,’ he said.