High-ranking police suspected early on that a caravan filled with explosives and a list of potential Jewish targets was not as it seemed. The discovery was eventually revealed to be a false flag plot by organised criminals. NSW Police Deputy Commissioner expressed suspicion over the caravan's motivation and resisted adopting federal police's description of it as a criminal con job. The discovery prompted fears of a terrorist attack or mass-casualty event but was later determined to be an attempted manipulation of the justice system.