The man alleged to have masterminded a spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and a“fake terrorism” caravan plothas denied responsibility – but admits he was involved in having the caravan moved.
In January, police discovered acaravan packed with explosivesin the outer Sydney suburb of Dural, triggering a massive multi agency investigation.
Former gym owner and alleged drug dealer Sayit Akcahas told Four Cornershe was able to divert the caravan – which he says was being moved between an illicit buyer and seller – and informed the Australian federal police (AFP) about the explosives in an attempt to gain more lenient treatment in the courts.
Akca was charged in 2022 with conspiring to import a commercial quantity of illicit drugs and recklessly engaging with the proceeds of crime. He did not attend a scheduled court appearance at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on 28 September 2023. He is now in Turkey,according to the ABC.
Court documents seen by Guardian Australia allege Akca was smuggled out of Australia to Thailand via Thursday Island in September 2023.
Akca told ABC’s Four Corners he fled Australia after he was charged partly because he feared he was a possible target of other criminals.
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But, because he missed his son in Australia, he had approached authorities to organise a “trade-in” – hoping it would assist his return.
He said he did not buy the explosives but directed the driver of the caravan to leave it in a “safe spot” and remove the detonators. He denied any knowledge of a note listing Jewish community targets thatNew South Walespolice alleged was found inside the caravan.
“I actually picked Dural and I just told the driver … to just put it in a safe spot,” Akca said, according to the ABC.
In the months before the discovery of the caravan – which the NSW premier, Chris Minns, initially said wascapable of being a “mass casualty event”– Sydney and its large Jewish community were rocked by aspate of firebombing and graffiti attacks, including on a childcare centre and synagogues.
In March, police saidthe caravan was part of a “fake terrorism plot”allegedly orchestrated by organised criminals for personal gain. Police alleged the “con job” was fabricated by organised crime figures for personal benefit and that the undisclosed figures were based in Australia and offshore.
The AFP deputy commissioner,Krissy Barrett, alleged in Marchthat: “We believe the person pulling the strings wanted changes to their criminal status but maintained a distance from their scheme and hired alleged local criminals to carry out parts of their plan.”
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Barrett said the incidents were designed to gain the police’s attention and divert resources with alleged offenders “accepting these tasks for money”.
“Put simply, the plan was the following: organise for someone to buy a caravan, place it with explosives and written material of antisemitic nature, leave it in a specific location and then, once that happened, inform law enforcement about an impending terror attack against Jewish Australians.”
The plot was “never going to cause a mass casualty event”, police said.
Akca told the ABC this week that he “removed something off the street and gave it to [the AFP]. And then there’s a bunch of other things they’re alleging was me. But I deny it. Doesn’t match my timeline”.
After supplying the AFP with further information about explosives as part of his bid for leniency, Akca gave up on the hope of returning to Australia, he told Four Corners.
In April, it emerged that a senior NSW police officersigned a non-disclosure agreementwhen told by the AFP in early February that the motivation of the “mastermind” behind Sydney’s fake terrorism caravan plot was to influence prosecutions.
The AFP said on Monday that it questioned “the motivation of the individual interviewed by Four Corners”.
“That person has been charged by the AFP for an alleged illicit drug importation, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment,” an AFP spokesperson said.
“That person is also accused of unlawfully leaving Australia while on bail.”
On Monday, NSW police told Guardian Australia: “Operation Kissinger is an investigation by the joint counter-terrorism team (JCTT) comprising members of NSW police force, Australian federal police, NSW crime commission and Asio.
“The NSW police force is committed to preventing and disrupting any threat to the safety and wellbeing of the community and has been working collaboratively with our partner agencies under JCTT arrangements to investigate terrorist activities, since its establishment in 2002.”
NSW police said a number of people connected to the investigation had been charged and were before the courts, and, for “operational reasons”, would not comment further.
Guardian Australia contacted Akca for comment.