The revelation that a suspected anti -Semitic terror plot was a hoax has become a political football, with accusations who knew what what knew during a probe with multiple authorities.
Peter Dutton shouted 'nonsense' on Tuesday after Minister of the Interior Tony Burke claimed that the opposition leader missed important briefings about the discovery of a caravan loaded with explosives in Dural, in the north -west of Sydney, in January.
“It is complete and completely nonsense,” Mr Dutton told reporters on Tuesday.
He said that the coalition was looking for a briefing from the police on January 22 and then a week later.
'In no time during those briefings, or my discussions with the director -general of Asio, including up to and including and recorded on 18 February, there was some mention of a Hoax.
“The prime minister must answer questions about when he was advised that this is a hoax.”
Shadow Minister of the Interior James Paterson also went to social media to confirm that the opposition was informed on January 30 by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The caravan in question was unveiled as a 'criminal con job' by AFP deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett on Monday.
Peter Dutton (photo) told reporters on Tuesday that criticism from the Minister of the Interior is 'complete and extreme nonsense'
THe planned by perpetrators to buy a van, sign it with explosives and anti -Semitic materials and then to inform the police about a terrorist attack, Barrett said.
“The caravan would never cause a massive victim event,” she said.
“We believe that the person who pulled the strings wanted changes to their criminal status, but has enforced a distance from their scheme and hired alleged local criminals to implement parts of their plan.”
After the announcement, the Minister of the Interior accused Mr Dutton of generating fear of anti -Semitic attacks while the police carried out their probe in the caravan.
“The revelations … show that Peter Dutton has directly played in the hands of organized crime figures that have tried to take advantage of the distribution of our community,” Mr Burke said on social media.
“If you don't care about the facts, if you don't give to unjustified fear and blaming our community, you can't be familiar with national security.”
Mr Burke then doubled his comments on Tuesday and told the ABC that the opposition leader did not attend briefings with AFP during the investigation.
“And so we had a situation in which Peter Dutton deliberately made a decision not to find out the facts of the Australian federal police, to ignore Asio's advice when lowering the temperature, simply because it suited his self-promotion ambitions,” he said.
The opposition leader was asked if he regretted his heavy language on the caravan was now revealed as a hoax, to which he said no.
The Australian federal police said that the caravan, which was loaded with explosives, would “never cause a massive victim event”
On Monday, 14 people were accused of 65 violations with regard to anti -Semitic incidents in eastern Sydney
It was initially assumed that the plot was linked to anti -Semitic attacks after a note in the caravan was found with the addresses of Jewish people and a synagogue.
It also contained the words: “F *** the Jews.”
NSW Police Vice-Commissioner David Hudson told Reporters on Monday that the conspiracy and other alleged hate crimes were not motivated by anti-Semitism, but 'performed by criminals'.
“It was about causing chaos within the community, causing threat, causing fear, distracting police sources away from their daily jobs.”
Executive Council of Alex Ryvchin by Australian Jewry's co-chief director told Daily Mail Australia that the community is still processing the information.
“The Jewish community now has to contend with anti -Semitism that comes from violent criminal gangs and well -known ideological and political sources,” he said.
'There is also a strong concern in the community that the characterization of the dural incident has led to the denial or decrease in the severity of anti -Semitism crisis and dark, conspiracy elements of our society.
“It is crucial that governments and law enforcement continue to treat anti -Semitism as the serious and persistent threat it is.”
NSW Police vice-commissioner David Hudson said that the caravanplot and other alleged hate crimes were not motivated by anti-Semitism, but 'performed by criminals'
On Monday, the AFP and NSW police announced that 14 people were accused of a total of 65 violations Related to the anti -Semitic incidents in the east of Sydney between October and February.
Those who are being charged are between 18 and 41 years old and were arrested after orders and firearm prohibitions were carried out in buildings in the city.
The arrests were made as part of Strike Force Pearl, a constant investigation into incidents from November 2024 to January 2025, including racist graffiti and fire blocks of cars.
Some arrests were connected to stop the investigation of Force Kissinger into the explosives in the caravan in the Dural.
The NSW police no longer believe that there is a constant threat to the community of a terrorist act, as feared when the caravan was discovered.
