Latest news with #Powergel
Sydney Morning Herald
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney caravan bomb plotter admits key role from Turkish hideout
The suspected mastermind of the Dural caravan fake terror plot admits he sourced the explosives found in the vehicle, but denies involvement in a string of antisemitic attacks police say he orchestrated from overseas. Sayit Erhan Akca says he approached authorities to arrange a 'trade-in', offering up the cache of explosives in exchange for a reduced sentence and to have his bail reinstated if he returned to Australia. Akca fled the country in mid-2023 after being arrested during the Australian Federal Police's Operation Ironside and charged with drug importation and proceeds of crime-related offences. The discovery of the explosives in Sydney's north, along with a list of supposed Jewish targets, triggered panic, with NSW Premier Chris Minns declaring a 'potential mass-casualty event' had been avoided. Almost two months later, the AFP declared there was no risk of such an event and that the plot was concocted by organised crime figures for their own benefit. Akca, who is hiding out in Turkey, said he approached the AFP in December, and claims he was told he could return to Australia if he handed the stolen mining explosives over. This masthead first revealed authorities' suspicions that the caravan was being leveraged by an underworld figure for a reduced sentence. 'I was giving them explosives,' he told the ABC's Four Corners. 'I said, 'Look, I've got information on a movement of explosives. I can seize it and I can hand it over'.' Akca said he didn't purchase the stolen Powergel explosives, but instead intercepted them while they were being transported during a black-market sale.
The Age
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Sydney caravan bomb plotter admits key role from Turkish hideout
The suspected mastermind of the Dural caravan fake terror plot admits he sourced the explosives found in the vehicle, but denies involvement in a string of antisemitic attacks police say he orchestrated from overseas. Sayit Erhan Akca says he approached authorities to arrange a 'trade-in', offering up the cache of explosives in exchange for a reduced sentence and to have his bail reinstated if he returned to Australia. Akca fled the country in mid-2023 after being arrested during the Australian Federal Police's Operation Ironside and charged with drug importation and proceeds of crime-related offences. The discovery of the explosives in Sydney's north, along with a list of supposed Jewish targets, triggered panic, with NSW Premier Chris Minns declaring a 'potential mass-casualty event' had been avoided. Almost two months later, the AFP declared there was no risk of such an event and that the plot was concocted by organised crime figures for their own benefit. Akca, who is hiding out in Turkey, said he approached the AFP in December, and claims he was told he could return to Australia if he handed the stolen mining explosives over. This masthead first revealed authorities' suspicions that the caravan was being leveraged by an underworld figure for a reduced sentence. 'I was giving them explosives,' he told the ABC's Four Corners. 'I said, 'Look, I've got information on a movement of explosives. I can seize it and I can hand it over'.' Akca said he didn't purchase the stolen Powergel explosives, but instead intercepted them while they were being transported during a black-market sale.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘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.
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- The Guardian
NSW man allegedly linked to Dural caravan filled with explosives ‘has nothing to do with it', brother says
The brother of a man allegedly connected to a caravan found laden with explosives in Sydney has said his sibling is 'just a normal person, he doesn't hate anyone'. Scott Marshall, 36, and his partner, Tammie Farrugia, 34, were named on a police search warrant as part of the investigation into the caravan, which police found on 19 January. Neither have been charged in relation to the explosives in the caravan and the Guardian does not suggest any wrongdoing on their part. Scott's brother Stewart Marshall told media outside Liverpool local court on Wednesday that Scott 'has nothing to do with it, he's innocent'. Farrugia's separate and unrelated matter was heard at the court earlier on Wednesday. The caravan was found in Dural on the outskirts of north-west Sydney laden with Powergel explosives that police estimated were capable of creating a 40-metre blast radius. A note was also found in the caravan containing names of alleged targets, including a Sydney synagogue. No detonator was found. Scott Marshall is in custody on remand on unrelated drugs and weapons charges which were investigated as part of Strike Force Pearl, the New South Wales police operation dedicated to antisemitism. He has pleaded not guilty and is due before Liverpool local court again on 3 March. Farrugia is in custody on remand for unrelated matters, an alleged arson and alleged anti-Israel graffiti attack in Woollahra in December. Among the charges, she is accused of participating in a criminal group with at least two others as an accessory before allegedly damaging three homes and a vehicle. Farrugia has not yet entered a plea. Farrugia's matter was briefly heard in Liverpool local court on Wednesday. The court heard the NSW director of public prosecutions will be taking over the case from police. The matter has been adjourned to 3 April. Stewart Marshall told media outside court that Scott had been in custody in isolation and didn't know about the caravan matter becoming news until several days ago. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'He's not allowed to talk to anyone or associate with anyone,' Stewart said. Farrugia is among at least 11 people who have been charged in relation to a spate of antisemitic vandalism and arson attacks in Sydney over the past two months. This has included the graffiti of two separate synagogues and the firebombing of a childcare centre, which was also graffitied with the words: 'Fuck the Jews'.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- The Guardian
The new school year is usually a time of joy but Jewish parents in Sydney are feeling anxious and uncertain
The first day of the new school year is usually a day of joy for Jane* and her family. This year, however, the Jewish mother is focused on protecting her children from the rising threat of violent antisemitic attacks. 'The juxtaposition of my fear and their excitement about starting school, proud of their uniform and their school, is palpable,' the mother of three school- and preschool-aged children from Sydney's eastern suburbs, who did not want her full name to be used, said on Thursday. Waking up to the news of an antisemitic graffiti attack on Mount Sinai College in Maroubra on Thursday, and reeling after the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives and a list of Jewish community targets in Dural on Wednesday, she said returning to school meant her children had to confront hatred. 'It's my kid's first day back and my middle child's first day at school ever – why should they ever be subjected to this? They are innocent children, but they are marked because they are Jewish – it's terrible and depressing,' Jane said. 'Many parents will be scared to send their kids to school and devastated that their kids should be confronted by such hatred and racism on what already is a big day.' She said her children's school had sent notes to parents advising them excursions would be, for the most part, cancelled, or would include some form of security – and that if a student or parent has safety concerns, they were permitted to cover any identifying parts of their uniform. She said many parents were 'anxious about drop off, pickup and the entire school day until their child is at home safe'. 'People will be wondering what's next, people will be very scared. Some will be defiant – but underneath will be shock and fear.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Emily*'s children will return to classes at Mount Sinai College on Friday, the day after it and a nearby home became targets of antisemitic graffiti – and less than two weeks on from an antisemitic arson and spray paint attack on the Only About Children childcare centre, just metres away from the school. 'They were like, 'oh my gosh, what happened?',' she said of driving past the scene with her two children that day. 'Because it was cordoned off, there were police and a media circus. 'I just told them there had been a fire. I don't want them to grow up thinking that people hate them for being Jewish. 'I'm just tired, I just want it to stop. I am sick of waking up to find out something else has happened.' A caravan is parked on the side of the road in Dural, a semi-rural suburb in Sydney's north west. A local resident, believing it was parked in a hazardous position for road users, towed the caravan to his property. The van is padlocked. The man leaves it parked on his property. The property owner busts open the caravan, to discover it contains explosives. He contacts police. He is not accused of any wrongdoing. In addition to Powergel explosives capable of creating a 40-metre wide blast radius, in the caravan there is also a note containing the name of targets including a Sydney synagogue and remarks about Jews. No detonator was found. State and federal police launch a covert joint counterterrorism investigation. At the time of the discovery, the registered owner of the caravan is in custody on separate matters related to weapons and drug charges. Police raid properties, including a Dural address next to the property where the caravan had been towed. Another home in Sydney's west is also raided. Anthony Albanese convenes national cabinet to address 'the shocking rise of antisemitic hate crimes'. Leaders agree to set up a national database, and federal police reveal foreign actors may be orchestrating recent attacks. Details of the caravan are leaked and reported by The Daily Telegraph, which prompts New South Wales police and the premier, Chris Minns, to call a press conference. They make public the investigation into the 'potential mass casualty event'. On the eve of the school term, she said there was a level of trepidation, but also determination to try to live life as normal. 'At the end of the day, we just want to keep our kids safe,' she said. As counter-terrorism teams investigate the Dural incident, ongoing investigations into a string of antisemitic incidents and arson attacks targeting homes, businesses and synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne had led to numerous arrests, while federal police unexpectedly revealed they were investigating whether 'overseas actors or individuals' had paid local people to carry out attacks. Amid anxiety and uncertainty in the Jewish community, security and police presence had increased across Jewish sites across the state, including schools. Simone Abel, a parent and the head of legal at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the incidents had led to 'difficult conversations around dinner tables and elsewhere about the safety of our kids, and also the safety of other children at our kids' schools'. The day after the childcare incident, Emily said 'the WhatsApp group messages between all the parents were flying and just like 'what are we going to do?''. Security had been increased at Mount Sinai, and she said she and other parents were feeling somewhat reassured. 'It had hit so close to home,' she said. 'I'm exhausted, everyone's exhausted.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Despite Thursday's graffiti incident, she said she would still take her daughter to daycare because she doesn't want to let the alleged perpetrators intimidate her. 'When is it going to stop?,' she said. 'This cannot be deemed as normal. 'I honestly believe the average Australian thinks this is deplorable and the messages of support from colleagues and friends are heartwarming,' she added. 'We know we have the police and government working tirelessly but we just need everyone to realise that we need their support in calling out any racist or antisemitic behaviour out. 'This will only stop if we work together to stomp it out.' The Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, said last week that 'all lines of inquiry' were open and that this included whether some attacks had involved young people being radicalised online. 'There is still a lot of investigative work to be done and we are not ready to rule anything in or out,' he said. Sarah*, whose three children attend Mount Sinai College and Emanuel school in Randwick, was less fearful than angry. She said she knew parents who were considering removing their children from Jewish schools in the belief that non-religious schools may be safer options. 'It's not fear, it's more anger that it's got to this stage,' she said of her reaction to rising antisemitism. 'I'm not fearful because we have the [Jewish community security organisation] CSG – they are incredible, we are so grateful to them.' Abel said she was determined to see her and others' children continue to go to school. 'We shouldn't be fearful of being the melting pot that we are. That's what makes Australia great. And so I would just say to parents, please stay strong.' * Names changed to protect families' privacy
