Suspected caravan bomb plotter is ‘drug smuggler who fled Australia’

A man suspected of being a key player in the conspiracy to orchestrate a fake terror plot involving a caravan stocked with explosives on the outskirts of Sydney is a wanted man who allegedly fled Australia while awaiting trial for drug importation.

Sayit Erhan Akca, 35, was arrested in 2022 during a massive Federal Police raid on an encrypted messaging platform known as AN0M and accused of handling money for organised crime.

Police suspect Sayit Erhan Akca was involved in orchestrating a caravan bomb plot. Credit: Facebook

For the past month, a counter-terrorism investigation has been trying to unpick who parked the caravan on a suburban street in the suburb of Dural and packed it with Power Gel mining explosives.

After raids across Sydney on Monday, in which more than a dozen people were arrested and charged, NSW Police and the AFP said a spate of antisemitic attacks across the city, including the caravan plot, were a “con job” fabricated by organised criminals trying to either distract police or influence a prosecution.

“We’re looking at a number of targets offshore and looking at how that is interacting with local organised crime figures for the furthering of these types of attacks,” Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett told media on Monday.

Sayit “Aron” Akca on holidays in Queensland.Credit: Facebook

Police have not publicly named Akca, but sources confirmed he is suspected of being involved in the plot.

The Sydney gym owner and father of one was charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime, but was released on bail in the Local Court in March 2022.

Authorities believe Akca fled the country in mid-2023 and has been living in both Asia and Turkey ever since.

His raft of conditions included daily reporting to St George Police Station, surrendering his passport and living in the city’s south, near Sans Souci.

A photograph shows him walking with his son past a row of shops in Queensland after being granted bail and having it modified to permit a holiday in May 2023.

In September that year, the charge against Akca was scheduled to be dropped and replaced with one count of importing a commercial quantity of drugs and another of reckless dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Less than two months later, he had vanished.

His lawyer told the court that the last contact with Akca was August 31, 2023.

Then, in late September 2023, Akca was a no-show at court.

Explosives were found inside a caravan at a Dural property in Sydney’s north-west on January 19.Credit: TNV

His lawyer told the magistrate he would no longer represent the alleged trafficker, and a magistrate issued a warrant for Akca’s arrest.

Akca’s previously very active Facebook page boasted dozens of selfies, pictures of his son clad in boxing gear and promotion of his since-shuttered gym, Fitness Republic Cabramatta.

“I’ve set myself a 12-week challenge for summer, ganna go from blimp to pimp,” he wrote in 2015 to accompany a set of before and after photographs.

The rest of his profiles centre around his amateur bodybuilding career and gym franchise that popped up around Sydney.

“Still thankful for all those that supported my ugly journey of starving myself and wearing a G banger on stage,” he wrote in 2022.

“It lead [sic] me to the start of my career in gyms, which was always the vision and reason.”

But between the shirtless photos, Akca also shared darker visions about Middle Eastern politics.

“Why was no one this caring about Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria?” he asked in February 2022.

“Oh ... cause western invasion is ok. But eastern is evil. There has never been a war, only a big guy bullying a small guy for self interest.”

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