Bishop, Priest, and churchgoers stabbed in Sydney church, Police call it ‘terrorist’ attack

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Priest of Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the western suburb of Wakeley, Sydney, were stabbed in an alleged ‘terrorist act’ by a 16-year-old during the mass on Monday, April 15th, 2024, just two days after a mass stabbing rocked the Australian city in a busy shopping mall in Bondi.

The bishop was presiding over a service that was being live-streamed at the church when an alleged attacker was seen charging him. Several parishioners immediately attempted intervention, leading to them being injured as well.

New South Wales police said that the accused attacker was detained at the site by members of the public. Following the arrival of police, the suspect—later revealed to be a 16-year-old boy—was brought into prison and had surgery to treat his injuries from the incident.

At least four people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by the paramedics and taken to the hospital. Bishop Emmanuel sustained many strikes to the head and body, according to a statement from Christ The Good Shepherd Church. It stated that no one else was hurt inside the church, but parish priest Father Isaac Royel was hurt as well. They both underwent surgery.

While the bishop was bleeding, “he put his hand on the man that stabbed him and said something like, ‘May the Lord Jesus Christ Save you,’” Saliba said, citing a witness. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters Tuesday that police believe the attack was premeditated, that the attack during a live-streamed service was intended to be “intimidating not only [to] the parishioners in attendance, but those parishioners who were watching online”.

“We will allege [the suspect] attended that church armed with a knife and stabbed the bishop and priest … We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religiously motivated extremism,” she said.

The entire incident captured on live stream quickly triggered unrest in the Wakeley with videos spreading on social media, prompting angry members of the community to converge on the church. Footage showed chaotic scenes as people threw objects at the police car. The Police Commissioner, Webb called the conduct of the uncontrollable crowd ‘totally unacceptable’.

“People converged on that area and began to turn on police. People used what was available to them in the area, including bricks, concrete, palings, to assault police and throw missiles at police, police equipment, and police vehicles,” Webb said.

Paramedics and police were compelled to flee inside the church, where they holed up for three and a half hours as throngs outside rioted, according to NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan. “This was a rapidly evolving situation where the crowds went from 50 to hundreds of people in a very rapid period. Our paramedics became directly under threat,” he said.

NSW Ambulance treated 30 patients, Morgan said, including seven who were taken to hospital. Around 20 were treated for the effects of pepper spray. Some 20 police vehicles were damaged with 10 deemed unusable, police said. “Our people, that do nothing but go to care and help every single day, need to know that they’ve got the support of the community,” Dominic Morgan said.

The Church backed the police responses, categorizing this attack as ‘isolated’ and ‘denouncing any retaliation’.

According to Australian authorities, terror offenses are motivated by ideology. Though investigations are ongoing, they claim to be confident that this is an instance of religious fanaticism. The claimed attacker’s religion has been withheld by the authorities on many occasions. Police believe he acted alone, also emphasizing that the investigation was in its preliminary stages.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened an emergency meeting of national security agencies, calling the attack “disturbing”.

“We’re a peace-loving nation… There’s no place for violent extremism.” Tying to quell further violence, he urged that people “not take the law into their own hands”. State Premier Chris Minns, further added, “NSW is on edge and there’s understandable community anxiety at the moment.” He appealed for calm, echoing calls from religious and community leaders.

Sydney’s tiny Christian Assyrian population, many of whom have escaped persecution and conflict in Iraq and Syria, is centered in the Wakeley area.

Local MP Dai Le described Bishop Emmanuel as one of the “kindest, [most] authentic, genuine human beings” and a well-known leader in that town.

The bishop, however, reportedly faced suspension from the Assyrian Church for breaking canons and founding a split church, leading to a tumultuous relationship between the two organizations.

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