Australian Police say the caravan laden with explosives that sparked fears of an anti-Semitic attack was a “fabricated plot” by known criminals.

“Almost immediately, experienced investigators within the joint counter-terrorism team believed the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorist plot, essentially a criminal con job,” AFP deputy commission Krissy Barrett told reporters on Monday.

“Today, I can reveal the caravan was never going to cause a mass casualty event but instead was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit.”

The caravan was found in the semi-rural Sydney suburb of Dural on January 19. The caravan allegedly contained a list of synagogues.

Police said at the time the amount of explosives on board could have created a 40m blast zone.