‘Innocent': Brother's claim on terror plot
The brother of a man named on a counter-terror warrant following the discovery of a caravan full of explosives in Sydney's northwest claims his brother is 'innocent'.
Explosives were found in a caravan in Dural, along with the address of a Jewish synagogue and other notes on January 19, after a resident spotted it in December and towed it onto their property.
NSW Police earlier said the Powergel explosives found inside the caravan could have been stolen from a mining site and had the power to create a blast wave of up to 40m if detonated.
Scott Marshall and his partner Tammie Farrugia were both allegedly named on a counter-terror warrant along with Simon Nichols, though none have been charged with terrorism offences.
Ms Farrugia is facing charges over an alleged separate anti-Semitic attack in Woollahra in December when a car was torched and buildings were graffitied.
A'Kill Israiel' (sic) message was scrawled on the wall of a home in the attack, causing an estimated $20,000 in damages.
Ms Farrugia's case was called at Liverpool Court on Wednesday.
Outside court, Stewart — a man who claimed to be Mr Marshall's brother — told reporters his brother had 'nothing to do with it'.
'I don't want to get him in anymore trouble than he's in, I don't know what to say,' Stewart told reporters outside Liverpool Court on Wednesday.
He said his brother had told him 'that he's had nothing to do with it, he's innocent'.
He also said his brother did not have any anti-Semitic ideologies.
'No. He's just a normal person, he doesn't hate anyone, but I don't know why they're doing this to him,' he said.
Stewart claimed his brother was in non-association custody (NA) on separate charges.
'He's not allowed to talk to anyone or associate with anyone,' he said.
Ms Farrugia did not appear at Liverpool Court on Wednesday, however her Legal Aid defence pushed for an adjournment.
The request was met with no objections from the prosecution, with Ms Farrugia now set to front Downing Centre Court on April 3 of this year.
The magistrate told the court the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) were 'now elected to proceed on indictment'.
NewsWire has contacted the DPP for comment.
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