More than a dozen people have been charged over a spate of incidents in Sydney, the most significant of which was the discovery on the city's outskirts of a caravan containing industrial explosives and names of Jewish sites.
Political leaders including Premier Chris Minns described the find as pointing to a terrorist act, although police said they were also looking into the possibility the explosives were being used as a criminal ploy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been under pressure to reveal when he was briefed on the January find, on Wednesday said recent media reporting suggested the incident was "not what it seems".
State and federal authorities have reportedly been zeroing in on the possibility the caravan was linked to organised criminals rather than extremists, after discovering the blast material might be 40 years old.
A second person named in connection with the caravan find, Scott Marshall, was on Tuesday charged over an anti-Semitic attack in which cars were set on fire and buildings damaged in a suburb with a large Jewish population.
The December incident at Woollahra in Sydney's east caused an estimated $20,000 damage when graffiti including "Kill Israiel" (sic) was sprayed on buildings and footpaths.
The 36-year-old was charged with participating in a criminal group, damaging property and driving a stolen vehicle.
He was already in custody on other charges and faces court on April 3.
His partner, Tammie Farrugia, 34, previously faced court on similar allegations.
Both have been named but not charged in connection to the caravan.
Detective Superintendent Darren Newman, who heads the NSW Police task force set up to investigate various anti-Semitic incidents, said the pair were allegedly involved in sourcing and preparing the car and jerry cans of fuel used in the Woollahra incident.
"The principal offenders for that offence remain outstanding and we are still investigating those matters," he said.
Police earlier revealed a number of incidents in Sydney's east were now thought to be linked - including graffiti on a school in Maroubra, at a shopping centre in Eastgardens and at two homes in January.
They want to speak to two men pictured in a white SUV in the vicinity of the attacks.
Police had spoken with the registered owner of the number plates pictured and believed the details had been cloned.
Investigations into a number of the hate crimes were complex and it was clear they involved a significant level of planning, Det Supt Newman added.
"These are people trying to cover their tracks ... I'm not ruling out that it's linked to organised crime," he said.
Commonwealth charges were still being considered for two stood-down nurses recorded threatening to kill or refuse treatment to Israeli patients.
Police were talking "daily" with the Israeli influencer who recorded and shared the video of the interaction on an online chat platform, but the investigation faced jurisdictional complications, Det Supt Newman said.
"We need to make sure we comply with all those foreign rules that are there and making sure that we can get an admissible statement that can be used in a court in NSW," he said.
