A man standing trial accused of carrying out a terrorist act motivated by right-wing ideologies told police a Nazi flag hanging in his bedroom and his swastika tattoos were "nothing political", a NSW Supreme Court trial has heard.
Simon Fleming was arrested in November 2021 after he allegedly took two men hostage in a dive shop in the Illawarra suburb of Windang after firing multiple rounds from a rifle on the main road.
In his manifesto tendered as evidence in his Supreme Court trial, Mr Fleming expressed his belief that immigration, political correctness and feminism was leading to "white genocide".
During the second day of the Supreme Court trial, the jury was shown a police interview with Mr Fleming after the incident.
In the video, Detective Shelly Fort asked Mr Fleming about a Nazi flag depicting a swastika hanging in his bedroom.
"I just collect stuff, I have lots of German stuff," Mr Fleming responded.
"The German flag is just cool to look at … it is nothing political or nothing."
When asked whether he has any military symbols tattooed on his body, Mr Fleming said he had Nazi tattoos as well as a Star of David and a hammer and sickle.
"I have swastikas on me, but they were done by me," Mr Fleming said.
"And I wrote anti-Nazi and there is a swastika there that is crossed out.
"I have lots of tattoos but none of them mean anything."
Opioid withdrawals
The jury previously heard Mr Fleming had developed an opioid addiction following a workplace injury 10 years ago.
During the police interview, Mr Fleming said that on the morning of the incident he called his chemist asking for his prescription of pain medication, which included Valium and OxyContin, to be refilled.
Mr Fleming said he decided on his actions that morning after learning he would be without his painkillers.
"Opium withdrawal is torture," he said.
"I was not going to sit there for 24 hours until the chemist opened so I can get my crap."
A document that outlined Mr Fleming's plan was tendered as evidence and included holding employees at a McDonald's hostage and firing rounds at police.
In the video of the police interview shown to the court, Mr Fleming told officers that when he left his Windang home he intended to shoot the tyres of cars on Windang Road, before placing a silver case resembling a bomb on a home-made sign, which said "Australia for a Republic".
Mr Fleming told police in the video that he had reassured his parents before leaving the house that he did not plan to hurt anyone and made the same promise to the employees of the dive shop.
"I told them as soon as I walked in there, 'don't worry I'm not going to hurt you'," he said.
"I said, 'do not be a hero because that could make me panic'; and I said, 'don't f***ing try anything'.
"I did not plan to harm anyone."
The trial continues.
