A bishop in the Australian city of Sydney was left badly wounded after a young man stabbed him with a knife during a regular church service.
Attendees of the service were horrified as they watched a 16-year-old boy violently attack the bishop with a knife. Now, many are calling it an act of terrorism.
Local Bishop Attacked by Violent Teenager in Church
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was in the middle of a service at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in mid-April when the unthinkable happened.
During a portion of the service, Emmanuel and a priest were violently attacked by a teenager wielding a knife, leaving them both wounded.
Police Arrest 16-Year-Old in Connection to the Crime
Police acted quickly and apprehended the 16-year-old boy who had committed the crime.
Karen Webb, the Police Commissioner for New South Wales revealed the boy’s actions may have been motivated by religious beliefs, per AP News.
Police Commissioner Sheds Light on the Attack
Speaking on the crime, Webb revealed they believed the attack was planned beforehand, and the young man knew exactly who his targets were.
She said, “We’ll allege there’s a degree of premeditation on the basis that this person has traveled to that location, which is not near his residential address.”
The Bishop and Priest Are Lucky to Be Alive, Says Commissioner
“He has traveled with a knife, and subsequently, the bishop and the priest have been stabbed.” This led Webb to say, “After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.”
Speaking on the nature of the attack, the Police Commissioner claims it could have ended badly for the bishop and priest, claiming, “They’re lucky to be alive.”
The Incident Sparks a Riot
Following the attack, the police were forced to hold the suspect inside the church in Wakely as a violent riot took place outside of the building.
A large crowd of the bishop’s followers clashed with police officers as they demanded the attacker be turned over.
Riot Causes Significant Damage to Surrounding Area
“A number of houses have been damaged. They’ve broken into a number of houses to gain weapons to throw at the police. They’ve thrown weapons and items at the church itself,” said Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland via The Independent.
“There were obviously people who wanted to get access to the young person who caused the injuries to the clergy people,” he said.
Joint Task Force Further Investigates the Crime
As the crime was deemed an act of terrorism, The Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s leading domestic spy agency, has been called to the case.
The ASIO will work alongside the Australian Federal Police to investigate the crime and determine whether other parties were involved.
ASIO Director Gives a Statement
The current director of ASIO, Mike Burgess, revealed that the investigation has yet to yield any further threats.
“It does appear to be religiously motivated, but we continue our lines of investigation,” Burgess said.
ASIO Investigation Aims to Ensure Safety for the Community
Burgess went on to explain the investigation aims to ensure the community isn’t under threat of another attack in the coming weeks.
“Our job is to look at individuals connected with the attacker to assure ourselves that there is no one else in the community with similar intent. At this stage, we have no indications of that,” he said.
Young Attacker Convicted of Crime in January
While the young attacker was not on the terrorist watchlist, he was convicted of several offenses at the beginning of the year.
These included being armed with a weapon, possession of a switchblade, stalking, and being armed with a weapon with the intention to commit an indictable offense.
Prime Minister Speaks on the Horrid Attacks
In the wake of the crime, Australia’s system, which dictates the likelihood of a terrorist attack, is currently rated as “possible.” However, this is the second lowest of the five-tier system.
Speaking on the nature of the crime, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “There is no place for violence in our community. There’s no place for violent extremism.”
