Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy after a prominent bishop and three other men were allegedly stabbed during a service at an Assyrian Orthodox church in Sydney’s south-west.
Video circulating on social media shows Christian leader Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was allegedly attacked at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley while delivering his sermon at around 7.10pm on Monday.
After the attack, an angry crowd of about 2,000 people swarmed the church as riots broke out and police struggled to maintain order.
Police said the boy suffered serious hand injuries, amid rumors his finger was severed during the fight. Officers had to barricade themselves in the church with the boy for hours while the violence continued outside.
A number of police officers were injured as they struggled to control the crowd.
Police said none of the four victims’ injuries were life-threatening.
It is understood that Father Isaac Royel, who serves in the Assyrian ministry at St Shimun Bar Sabbae and St Mary Cathedral, was among the injured.
In a statement released shortly before 10.30pm, Christ The Good Shepherd Church revealed that both Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac were in a ‘stable condition’.
A crowd also formed at Liverpool Hospital after at least some of the injured in the church were taken there for treatment.
It is understood that the hospital has gone into lockdown as a result.
Christian leader Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was reportedly attacked at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on Monday evening
Footage has emerged of the alleged attacker being pinned to his front by at least three people, including a police officer, as he smiled and appeared to mock his captors
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was helped by churchgoers after the alleged attack (photo)
Alleged attack
Shocking footage of the alleged attack left the bishop speaking as a youth dressed in black calmly approached him.
The bishop looked at the alleged attacker, who then made a stabbing motion to the face and neck.
The bishop then fell to the ground.
There were screams from the crowd as several people ran forward to try to help.
The footage comes from a livestream from the church’s YouTube page.
Some of those injured in the attack were rushed to Liverpool Hospital (pictured), which was locked down after a large crowd formed outside
Angry crowds gathered in Sydney’s south-west following the stabbing attack
An injured police officer at the scene of the Wakeley stabbing
Rumors that the boy’s finger was cut off
NSW Police provided an update in the early hours of Tuesday confirming the alleged attacker was known to police and was not a regular attendee of the church.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told media that the boy had been stopped by worshipers, but police had taken him to an “undisclosed location”.
He had asked to speak to his parents.
Comm Holland was also asked about rumors that the boy had cut off his finger in revenge after the attack.
In confrontational images, the alleged attacker appears to be held by several people.
One man, with blood on his jeans, lies with his legs straddling the alleged attacker’s head.
The video also showed the boy apparently smiling at the camera.
“There are reports that he has injuries to his hands – I don’t know the extent of those injuries at this time,” Comm Holland said.
‘His injuries to his hand are quite serious, he is quite upset and quite distraught.’
Rioting broke out after the alleged stabbing, with a video posted to social media showing a large crowd at the scene, with property damaged.
Other footage showed dozens of people smashing the windows of an ambulance as onlookers filmed a conflict in the background.
“He’s a damn dog,” one man is heard saying.
Police said officers continued to “work to restore order” after the riots and will continue to monitor places of worship throughout the night.
Crowds formed outside Liverpool Hospital as injured worshipers were treated
Chaos erupts
During the Covid pandemic, Bishop Mar Mari gained fame for his comments criticized both the lockdowns and the vaccines and said the coronavirus was “just another kind of flu.”
In a statement, the church confirmed that another prominent member of its community, Father Isaac Royel, was among the injured.
“We ask for your prayers at this time,” the statement read.
‘It is the wish of the bishop and the father that you also pray for the perpetrator.
‘We also kindly ask everyone who is in the church building to leave in peace.’
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone said the alleged attack was “horrific” and he understood people were “distraught,” but he also called for calm.
“I understand that a lot of people are angry, and rightly so,” he told Sky News.
‘Of course it’s terrible.
‘I sympathize with everyone who witnessed the stabbing, but I do appeal for calm.
“The police will do their job and please let’s not make the police’s job more difficult.”
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone called for calm amid chaotic scenes in Sydney’s west
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the scene as “disturbing”.
“I have received a briefing from the Commissioner of Police and NSW Health on the situation,” he said in a statement.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the first responders working to keep us safe.
‘It is important that the community remains calm and continues to listen and act on the instructions of police and emergency services.
“We are a strong community in NSW and it is important that we all stick together, especially when there is adversity.”
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance told NCA NewsWire that a man in his 50s was taken to Liverpool Hospital with multiple stab wounds.
The attack on Bishop comes just three days after six people were killed in a stabbing at Sydney’s Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre.
Three other people were also injured: a man in his 30s suffered multiple cuts, a man in his 20s had a cut on his hand and a man in his 60s injured his arm.
“Officers affiliated with the Fairfield City Police Area Command, supported by multiple police resources from a number of commands and specialist units, attended,” police said in a statement.
‘A man was arrested and remains in pre-trial detention.
“The injured suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being transported to hospital.”
The attack on Bishop comes just three days after six people were killed in a stabbing at Sydney’s Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre.
There is no indication that the two events are related.