Australian police said an organised crime network fabricated a plot to attack a synagogue in Sydney by placing a caravan of explosives to divert law enforcement forces on Monday.
Police discovered the trailer, which contained explosives capable of creating a 40-metre radius shockwave, and the address of a Sydney synagogue in January. However, investigators concluded it was part of a carefully planned criminal scheme rather than an actual terrorist threat.
“The caravan was never intended to carry out an attack but was concocted by criminals who wanted to spread fear for personal gain,” Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a news conference. She said the ease with which the trailer was discovered and the absence of a detonator indicated that the criminals were deliberately creating the illusion of a threat.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said the plot was about creating chaos, spreading fear and diverting police resources.
“It was about creating menace, anxiety, about diverting law enforcement forces from their day-to-day work to allow criminals to engage in other illegal activities,” Hudson said.
No one has yet been arrested in connection with the case, but police are investigating one suspect with links to organised crime.
The incident comes amid a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Australia in recent months. Vandalism and arson attacks on homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles have caused alarm among the Jewish community and led to diplomatic discontent from Israel, Australia’s traditional ally.
