- Sydney church attack labeled “terrorist act” with religious motivations
- 16-year-old boy arrested after assaulting bishop, priest, and attendees
- Violent confrontation ensues, Prime Minister condemns extremism, urges calm
The Australian police have termed the slashing that occurred on Monday in a Sydney church a “terrorist act” with religious motivations.
A 16-year-old boy was apprehended following an assault at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church during mass, which injured a bishop, a priest, and churchgoers.
Police report that at least four individuals sustained “non-life-threatening” injuries. Additionally, the assailant sustained injuries.
The church livestream captured the incident, which swiftly incited societal unrest in the Wakeley suburb.
Terrorism offences are defined by the Australian police as having an ideological motivation. Even though investigations are still in progress, authorities are certain that this involves religious extremism.
The authorities have declined on multiple occasions to disclose the religion of the alleged assailant.
The priest is Father Isaac Royel, and the bishop is Mar Mari Emmanuel, as designated by the church. Bishop Emmanuel, who was ordained in 2011, is a controversial and well-liked figure whose sermons amass millions of views on social media.
Monday night, as violent online videos of the assault and its aftermath proliferated, they attracted an irate congregation to the Assyrian Orthodox Church, located approximately 35 kilometres to the southwest of the city centre.
At that location, hundreds of individuals allegedly vying for vengeance engaged in a violent confrontation with police officers stationed securing the church where paramedics were tending to the attacker.
A brick and fence palings collision resulted in the fractured jaw of one officer, while ten police vehicles were completely obliterated. Similarly terrified for their safety, the paramedics “holed up” within the church for over three hours in response to the violence.
The assault has been deemed “disturbing” by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has convened an emergency meeting of national security agencies.
“We are a nation that values tranquilly… Violence extremism has no role in society.” Aiming to prevent additional acts of violence, he implored individuals to “avoid taking the law into their own hands.”
Commissioner of Police for New South Wales (NSW), Karen Webb, told the media on Tuesday morning that the bishop and priest were “fortunate to be alive” while undergoing surgery.
According to Ms Webb, the adolescent allegedly engaged in religiously-themed conversations with the bishop as he approached. Police suspect that the attack was staged during a live-streamed service with the intention of “intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance, but also those parishioners who were watching online.”
The individual, who was “known to police” but not on any terror watch list, acted alone, according to her.
During an interview with 2GB radio, state premier Chris Minns later confirmed rumours that the teen had been discovered at school in 2020 carrying a blade and had been previously charged with knife crime.
Police stated that the alleged perpetrator underwent surgery for finger injuries; however, it is unknown whether the wounds were self-inflicted or whether they occurred during his apprehension by the congregation.
The occurrence transpired mere days after a distinct and unrelated stabbing at a prominent Sydney retail centre shocked the nation to the detriment of seven individuals.
Currently, there is a legitimate sense of community anxiety in New South Wales, according to Mr Minns. Reiterating the appeals of religious and community leaders, he urged tranquilly.
Mr Minns stated that their message to their respective communities was consistent and universal: they abhor all forms of violence and have faith in the NSW Police to conduct their investigation.
He added that any “retaliatory act” intended to inflict harm would be “remet with the complete force of the law.”
Ms. Webb added that a strike force has been formed to apprehend those responsible for the unrest, stating, “We will locate you and bring you in for arrest.”
Likewise, the director of the New South Wales Ambulance described the crowds’ conduct as “reprehensible.”
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Dominic Morgan stated that our people, who do nothing but care and assist daily, must know that they have the backing of the community.
Many members of Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, who have fled persecution and conflict in Iraq and Syria, make their home in the Wakeley neighbourhood.
Local representative Dai Le remarked that Bishop Emmanuel is one of the “kindest, [most] authentic, genuine human beings” and a prominent leader in that community.
In contrast, the bishop’s relationship with the Assyrian Church has been tumultuous; he was reportedly suspended for disobeying canons and establishing a dissident church.
He became an outspoken critic of Covid-19 restrictions in 2021, likening Australian lockdowns to the institution of slavery and asserting that vaccines were ineffective.
