Sydney church stabbing being treated as act of terrorism, police say

SYDNEY (AP) — Australian police say a stabbing attack during a church service in Sydney injured a bishop and a priest while horrified worshipers watched online and in person and sparked riots. act of terrorism.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy after a stabbing on Tuesday at the Church of Christ the Good Shepherd that injured Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and a priest. Both are expected to survive.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the suspect’s comments suggested the attack had a religious motive.

“We allege that there was a degree of premeditation because this individual had traveled to this location, which was not near his residential address, and he was traveling with a knife and the bishop and priest were subsequently stabbed,” Weber said. “They’re lucky to be alive.”

Weber said the teen was known to police but was not on a terrorist watch list.

Australia’s main domestic spy agency ASIO and the Australian Federal Police have formed a counter-terrorism task force along with state police to investigate others who may have been involved.

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), said investigations had not uncovered any relevant threats.

“It does appear to be religiously motivated, but we will continue to investigate,” Burgess said.

“Our job is to focus on individuals associated with the attackers to ensure that no one else in the community has similar intentions. At this stage, we do not have any indication of this,” Burgess added.

According to advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), the risk of a terrorist attack in Australia is rated as “possible”. This is the second-lowest level after “not expected” on the five-level National Terrorism Threat Advisory System.

In response to the attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanez said: “There is no place for violence in our communities. There is no place for violent extremism.

Worshipers at the Church of the Good Shepherd in suburban Wakeley, which was live-streaming sermons online, saw a man dressed in black approach the altar and stab Bishop and Reverend Isaac during a church service on Monday night, police said Royer, who was then restrained by the congregation.

A crowd of hundreds seeking revenge gathered outside the Orthodox Assyrian church, throwing bricks and bottles, injuring police and preventing them from taking the teen out, officials said.

Acting Assistant Police Chief Andrew Holland told reporters the teen suspect and at least two police officers were also taken to the hospital.

The church posted on social media that the bishop and priest were in stable condition and asked people to pray. “It is the wish of the Bishop and the Father that you also pray for the perpetrators,” the statement said.

Holland praised the congregation for subduing the teen before calling police. Asked if the teen’s fingers had been severed, he said the hand injury was “serious”.

In the incident, which lasted several hours, more than 100 police reinforcements arrived and the teenager was removed from the church. Several police cars were damaged, Holland said.

“Many houses were damaged. They broke into some houses to obtain weapons to throw at the police. They threw weapons and objects at the church. Apparently someone wanted to get close to the young man who caused harm to the clergy,” he said.

Australians still shocked by lone attacker Stabbed six people to death More than a dozen people were injured at a Sydney shopping mall on Saturday.

Holland said the weekend attacks heightened the community’s response to the church stabbing.

“Given the incidents involving knives that have occurred in Sydney over the past few days, it is obviously concerning,” he said. “At this stage we have asked everyone to think rationally. We have spoken to community leaders and community members, spoken to local people and tried to keep people calm.

New South Wales Premier Chris Mings called the scenes “disturbing” on social media and urged the community to remain calm and “come together”. Religious leaders expressed shock and condolences.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, a leader of neighboring municipalities, described Bishop as a community leader. “This is a very emotional situation. Obviously the community is very upset,” Carbone said.

Christ the Good Shepherd has been preparing for Palm Sunday later this month.

Local media said the bishop was sometimes seen as divisive on issues such as COVID-19 restrictions, and he made gender-related comments in national news last year.

A video released by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in May 2023 about the campaign against the LGBTQ+ community showed the bishop saying in a homily that “when a man calls himself a woman, he is neither a man nor a woman, you are not a human being, Then you are it. Now, since you are it, I will no longer refer to you as a person, because it is not my choice, but your choice.

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McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia.