White supremacist Timothy Lutze takes own life amid Camp Sovereignty case

A prominent member of a white supremacist group has died while facing charges over an alleged attack on an Indigenous camp.

Timothy Lutze, 36, a senior Victorian member of the now-disbanded National Socialist Network (NSN), reportedly took his own life.

His death was confirmed by a judge in the Victorian County Court on Tuesday morning, news.com.au reported.

Lutze had been charged over an attack on Camp Sovereignty, an Indigenous protest camp in Melbourne’s Kings Domain, on August 31 last year.

The court previously heard Lutze was among a wider group that stormed the camp after attending the March for Australia protest, with members carrying sticks and flagpoles and advancing on the camp despite being told to leave.

However, Lutze’s court matter was finalised last Friday and the charges against him were withdrawn, a spokesperson for Melbourne’s courts said.

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell and fellow white supremacist Nathan Bull were among several co-accused who appeared in the Victorian County Court for a directions hearing on Tuesday.

Their bail conditions were varied to allow them to attend Lutze’s funeral on Wednesday, according to news.com.au.

Lutze was a former boxer and gym owner and was regarded as a senior member of the NSN in Victoria.

He previously ran Legacy Boxing Gym in Sunshine West, which attracted attention after images posted online showed groups of people performing Nazi salutes at the gym.

Images also showed Lutze performing the salute alongside young members of the gym community in front of NSN flags.

Lutze also made headlines in December 2023 when his Werribee home and his pregnant wife’s car were firebombed.

He blamed what he described as “left-wing terrorists” for the attack and said his children had been inside the home at the time.

The NSN announced earlier this year that it was disbanding ahead of new federal laws targeting hate groups.