Police raided home of woman arrested on ‘periphery’ of terror probe
A third person on the “periphery” of the caravan terror plot was arrested earlier this month over his links to the discovery of eight underworld “kill cars” at a Fairfield East warehouse.
NSW
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A third person on the “periphery” of the caravan terror plot was arrested earlier this month over his links to the discovery of eight underworld “kill cars” at a Fairfield East warehouse.
Simon Lance Nichols, 39, was named on an Australian Federal Police search warrant, along with Tammie Farrugia and her boyfriend Scott Marshall, when officers raided a property at Dural on January 21.
The raid followed the shock discovery of an abandoned caravan full of mining explosives and notes with the addresses of Jewish buildings, which police are treating as a possible anti-Semitic “terror” plot.
Nichols was already in custody when the terror investigation into the caravan began, having been arrested by NSW Police Organised Crime detectives on January 2 over the discovery of eight stolen cars, fitted with cloned number plates, known in the underworld as “kill cars”.
It is understood NSW Police, AFP, ASIO and the NSW Crime Commission, have attempted to interview Farrugia, Marshall and Nichols as part of their joint counter terrorism team investigation.
But despite all three being named on an AFP warrant, Farrugia, Marshall and Nichols have not been charged in relation to the caravan plot.
The Daily Telegraph is not suggesting any wrongdoing or involvement on their part.
A friend of Farrugia’s, who did not want to be identified, said Nichols was simply “a mate of Scott Marshall’s”.
It is understood state and federal agencies met on Thursday as they continue to attempt to piece together a “jigsaw puzzle” of evidence and leads, to try and identify the masterminds of what Premier Chris Minns said was potentially a “mass casualty event”.
A timeline of the incidents that preceded The Daily Telegraph breaking the revelation of the explosive-laden caravan begins with the raid on the Fairfield East warehouse in August, for which Nichols was later charged.
Several months later, on December 6, Farrugia tagged her boyfriend Marshall in a post on Facebook asking if any of their friends on social media had a caravan for sale.
“Looking for a caravan for sale hit me up if U have one cheers,” she wrote.
That same day Farrugia also posted a similar message on TikTok, adding that she needed the caravan “ASAP, I’ve got $$$ (money)”.
Police sources say it is believed the pair paid somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 for the caravan.
Police say the next day, December 7, the caravan was parked outside a small graveyard on a bend in Derriwong Rd at Dural.
A local resident believed the caravan was parked in a potentially dangerous location for any passing traffic and so towed it onto his own property, but because of a padlock on the door it remained there, unopened, for seven weeks.
On December 10, police allege Farrugia again took to Facebook asking: “Anyone got any plastic Jerry cans plz let me know thanks in advance”.
The next day, an alleged anti-Semitic vandalism attack was carried out on homes and cars in Woollahra.
Less than two weeks later on Christmas Eve, NSW Police raided Farrugia and Marshall’s home in Liverpool.
Farrugia discussed this raid with friends - again on Facebook - after posting a photo and saying that it was “killing her” not having her boyfriend by her side and adding “if I could trade places with u I would”.
“What happened, where’s Scotty?” a friend asked.
“We got raided Xmas Eve he got locked up. Our phones got seized… and other things,” Farrugia said.
Those “other things” were allegedly knuckledusters, an electronic stun device, unauthorised number plates and prohibited drugs.
Marshall was charged with two counts of goods suspected of being stolen and two counts of possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit, but has pleaded not guilty and remains behind bars on remand.
Last week, on January 21, NSW Police attached to Strike Force Pearl - the investigation aimed at targeting anti-Semitic attacks - arrested Farrugia at her Liverpool home over the alleged firebombing and graffiti incident at Woollahra on December 11.
She was charged with participating in a criminal group, accessory before the fact to an offence and carry in conveyance without consent of the owner, and was refused bail.
People who live in the same Liverpool unit block as Farrugia and Marshall said the couple had only moved in in the past six months.
They said police returned to the unit last week in the hours after Farrugia was arrested.
Eight days later, the major joint-agency investigation was finally uncovered, shocking the nation.
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