AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt told the royal commission a caravan packed with explosives, dumped on the edge of Sydney, had a “chilling effect” on the Jewish community – even though the plot was a fraud.
The caravan, found at the end of January 2025, was filled with mining explosives and notes suggesting a Sydney synagogue and a second venue were to be targeted in an antisemitic terror attack.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt after appearing at the royal commission.Sitthixay Ditthavong
The Joint Counter Terror Team, set up to investigate, found that organised criminals “fabricated” the plot to tip off authorities in exchange for preferential treatment in an upcoming court case.
But it left the Jewish community terrified, Nutt said.
“While it was a fabricated plot, it had a chilling effect on the Jewish community,” Nutt said in a statement to the commission.
“Given the extent of media attention it got, it had the desired effect … on the Jewish community in Australia at large,” he told the royal commissions on Monday.