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Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Police Had Early Doubts About Terrorist Link to Explosive Caravan, Inquiry Reveals
Senior New South Wales (NSW) police officers suspected early on that a caravan loaded with explosives and anti-Semitic materials, discovered in January on the outskirts of Sydney, was unlikely to be the work of terrorists. NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, who oversees counter-terrorism operations, told a parliamentary inquiry he had voiced these doubts in initial briefings with government officials. 'I expressed my suspicion over the motivation behind it from very early on,' Hudson said. Despite those reservations, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) determined that a counter-terrorism investigation was warranted, and the matter remained under intense scrutiny. The caravan was ultimately revealed to be part of a false flag operation devised by organised criminals aiming to manipulate law enforcement and incite fear for personal gain. Initial Alarm and Discovery Found in Dural on Jan. 19, the caravan contained improvised explosives, anti-Semitic literature, and a list of addresses linked to Jewish individuals and institutions—prompting fears of a potential mass-casualty event. It referenced the Great Synagogue in Sydney's CBD, heightening alarm among authorities. Related Stories 3/11/2025 3/10/2025 After news of the discovery leaked to the media the following week, NSW Premier Chris Minns said police may have 'prevented a mass casualty event.' However, on March 10, AFP Deputy Commissioner for National Security Krissy Barrett publicly confirmed that the caravan posed no real terror threat. 'Today, I can reveal the caravan was never going to cause a mass casualty event,' Barrett told reporters. 'It was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit.' Police Maintained Skepticism Hudson rejected suggestions that NSW Police had been deceived. 'I don't think the NSW Police were conned,' he said. Both Hudson and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed that terrorism charges were considered, even though police had internal doubts about the authenticity of the threat. 'In our briefings ... we talked about our concerns about this investigation but reiterated we had to take it at its highest,' Webb said. She later added that she did inform state ministers about her fears of the incident being a hoax. 'I directly recall relaying to the premier and the [police] minister our concerns that we weren't able to test the veracity of the information,' she said. Questions Arise Over Law Timing Senior police are now being grilled by a parliamentary inquiry about 'who knew what and when' after crossbench MPs raised concerns that the government may have used the incident to support the passage of new hate crime legislation. Defending his stance, Minns said, 'I introduced those laws because there had been a summer of racism in NSW, separate and aside to the caravan out in Dural.' Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has since called for an independent inquiry into the apparent briefing delay to the prime minister. Albanese declined to specify when he was informed. 'We don't discuss those details, because it's an ongoing investigation,' he said in Parliament. AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw also refused to disclose briefing timelines, citing operational sensitivity during a Senate inquiry. Link to Other Anti-Semitic Incidents The caravan incident coincided with a series of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney—including arson and graffiti targeting a synagogue and the former home of a Jewish community leader. Authorities now believe these incidents were linked to the same false flag operation. Investigators allege that individuals were paid to carry out the acts to heighten fear and reinforce the caravan's false narrative. Barrett explained why doubts emerged quickly. 'This was because of the information they already had, how easily the caravan was found, and how visible the explosives were in the caravan. Also, there was no detonator,' she said. Political Fallout and Accusations In response to Dutton's criticism, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke accused the opposition of politicising the issue. 'If you don't care about the facts, if you don't care about inflicting unwarranted fear and blame on our community, you can't be trusted with national security.' The Dural caravan plot has shifted from a security scare to a political flashpoint—fueling debate over transparency, intelligence handling, and the use of fear in policymaking. AAP contributed to this article.
CNN
10-03-2025
- CNN
Fake plan to attack Australia synagogue fabricated by organized crime network, police say
A fake plan to attack on a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives was fabricated by an organized crime network in order to divert police resources, Australian police said on Monday. Authorities in January found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, that could have created a blast wave of 40 meters (130 feet), along with the address of a Sydney synagogue. But police on Monday said the discovery was part of a 'criminal con job,' with the ease with which the caravan was found along with the lack of a detonator suggesting there was never any intent to attack Jewish targets. '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,' Krissy Barrett, the Australian Federal Police's Deputy Commissioner for National Security, told a news conference. 'Almost immediately, experienced investigators… believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job.' Police are yet to make any arrests in relation to the planning of the fabricated plot, but have gone public with the information in order to provide comfort to the Jewish community in Sydney, Dave Hudson, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner, told the news conference. 'It was about causing chaos within the community, causing threat, causing angst, diverting police resources away from their day jobs, to have them focus on matters that would allow them to get up to or engage in other criminal activity,' Hudson said. Police are investigating a suspect involved in an organized crime network, he added. Australia has suffered a spate of antisemitic attacks in recent months, with homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles targeted by vandalism and arson, drawing the ire of the country's traditional ally Israel.
CNN
10-03-2025
- CNN
Fake plan to attack Australia synagogue fabricated by organized crime network, police say
A fake plan to attack on a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives was fabricated by an organized crime network in order to divert police resources, Australian police said on Monday. Authorities in January found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, that could have created a blast wave of 40 meters (130 feet), along with the address of a Sydney synagogue. But police on Monday said the discovery was part of a 'criminal con job,' with the ease with which the caravan was found along with the lack of a detonator suggesting there was never any intent to attack Jewish targets. '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,' Krissy Barrett, the Australian Federal Police's Deputy Commissioner for National Security, told a news conference. 'Almost immediately, experienced investigators… believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job.' Police are yet to make any arrests in relation to the planning of the fabricated plot, but have gone public with the information in order to provide comfort to the Jewish community in Sydney, Dave Hudson, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner, told the news conference. 'It was about causing chaos within the community, causing threat, causing angst, diverting police resources away from their day jobs, to have them focus on matters that would allow them to get up to or engage in other criminal activity,' Hudson said. Police are investigating a suspect involved in an organized crime network, he added. Australia has suffered a spate of antisemitic attacks in recent months, with homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles targeted by vandalism and arson, drawing the ire of the country's traditional ally Israel.
NBC News
10-03-2025
- NBC News
Explosives-filled caravan was planted by criminals to play on fears of antisemitic attacks, Australia police say
SYDNEY — A fake plan to attack a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives was fabricated by an organized crime network in order to divert police resources, Australian police said Monday. Authorities in January found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, that could have created a blast wave of about 130 feet, along with the address of a Sydney synagogue. But police said Monday that the discovery was part of a 'criminal con job,' with the ease with which the caravan was found along with the lack of a detonator suggesting there was never any intent to attack Jewish targets. '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,' Krissy Barrett, the Australian Federal Police's deputy commissioner for national security, told a news conference. 'Almost immediately, experienced investigators ... believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorism plot — essentially a criminal con job.' Police have yet to make any arrests in relation to the planning of the fabricated plot, but have gone public with the information in order to provide comfort to the Jewish community in Sydney, Dave Hudson, deputy commissioner of the New South Wales Police, told the news conference. 'It was about causing chaos within the community, causing threat, causing angst, diverting police resources away from their day jobs, to have them focus on matters that would allow them to get up to or engage in other criminal activity,' Hudson said. Police are investigating a suspect involved in an organized crime network, he added. Australia has suffered a spate of antisemitic attacks in recent months, with homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles targeted by vandalism and arson, drawing the ire of the country's traditional ally Israel.
Al Jazeera
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Mob faked attack on Australian synagogue: Police
An organised crime network fabricated a plot to attack a synagogue in Australia to divert law enforcement resources, according to police. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Monday that the discovery of explosives in a caravan parked in Sydney was part of a 'criminal con job'. The country has previously said it suspected there were criminal links to a surge in anti-Semitic crime since the start of the Gaza war. The authorities found the caravan, which contained enough explosives to create a blast wave of 40 metres (130 feet), in January. The police now say they quickly realised that the cache was fabricated by an organised crime network. The caravan had been easily located, the AFP said, adding that the explosives were clearly visible and no detonator was present, suggesting there was never any intent to attack Jewish targets. '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,' Krissy Barrett, AFP's deputy commissioner for national security, told a news conference. 'Almost immediately, experienced investigators … believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job.' 'Chilling effect' In a statement on Monday, the AFP said its investigation, named Operation Kissinger, has identified a number of people involved in the fake terrorism plot and is working with local and overseas law enforcement to bring them to justice. It was decided to release the information to the public to provide comfort to Sydney's Jewish community, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson told a news conference. '[The plot] was about causing chaos within the community, causing threat, causing angst, diverting police resources away from their day jobs, to have them focus on matters that would allow them to get up to or engage in other criminal activity,' he said. The country's counterterrorism unit had considered releasing information to the public earlier but it had been receiving tip-offs about other related 'terror plots'. However, 'we are now confident that all these tip-offs were fabricated, and the caravan plot was an elaborate scheme contrived by organised criminals domestically and from offshore ', the AFP statement said. Australia has suffered a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in recent months, with homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles targeted by vandalism and arson, drawing the ire of the country's traditional ally Israel. Barrett said, in this atmosphere, the fake caravan plot had had a 'chilling effect' on the Jewish community. 'What organised crime has done to the Jewish community is reprehensible, and it won't go without consequence. There was also unwarranted suspicion directed at other communities – and that is also reprehensible.'
