Explosives-Filled Caravan A ‘Fabricated Terrorism Plot’ Says AFP

A caravan filled with explosives found at a property in Dural in January has been declared a “fabricated terrorism plot”.

Speaking on Monday afternoon, the Australian Federal Police said that investigators believed the caravan had been set up by organised criminals “very early on after the caravan was located”.

“Almost immediately, experienced investigators within the joint counter-terrorism team believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorist plot, essentially a criminal con job,” AFP Deputy Commissioner National Security Krissy Barrett said.

“Today, I can reveal the caravan was never going to cause a mass casualty event, but instead was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit.”

Police believe that that criminals planned to fill the caravan with explosives and antisemitic material before tipping authorities off about a “impending terror attack against Jewish Australians”.

“We believe the person pulling the strings wanted changes to their criminal status but maintained a distance from their scheme and hired alleged local criminals to carry out parts of their plan. However the plan was foiled,” Deputy Commissioner Barrett said.

A number of people have been identified as part of the con job, with the AFP working with law enforcement officials locally and overseas.

Police believe crimes “link back to the same common source”

The deputy commissioner says the act could have been motivated by a goal to leverage information to law enforcement for personal gain, such as for sentencing reduction.

Officers from Strike Force Pearl conducted 11 search warrants on Monday, arresting 14 people, but none of them are in relation to the caravan.

NSW police deputy commissioner David Hudson said that none of the people who had been arrested displayed any antisemitic ideology.

“We have numerous offers of criminals trying to get some benefit from court or some benefit from their judiciary by handing things in, but by providing information,” he said.

“It is not uncommon, but all of these link back to the same common source.”

Of the fourteen arrests made today, five people have been charged, with more expected to come.

Couple Scott Marshall and Tammie Furrugia were allegedly named on the police warrant as part of the investigation into the caravan, with the pair previously having been charged in relation to a seperate alleged arson and graffiti attack in Woollahra last year.

However, neither have been charged in relation to the caravan.