Sydney church stabbing: Boy, 16, is charged with terrorism after bishop was allegedly stabbed during sermon in Wakeley
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with terrorism after a Christian bishop was allegedly stabbed while delivering a sermon.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel just after 7pm on Monday while delivering a livestream sermon to parishioners at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, in Sydney’s west .
The incident sparked a riot outside the church, with a crowd of 2,000 people chanting “bring him out” and “an eye for an eye” as police kept him inside the building out of fear for his safety.
On Thursday evening, police announced that the teenager had been charged with terrorism.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is believed to have stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel just after 7pm on Monday while delivering a livestream sermon to parishioners at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in the west of Sydney (photo ). He was charged with committing a terrorist act on Thursday evening
Bishop Emmanuel (pictured) broke his silence from his hospital bed on Thursday morning to plead for calm and to forgive his alleged attacker
‘This afternoon, investigators from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team Sydney visited a medical facility to interview the boy before he was charged with committing an act of terrorism under section 101.1 Criminal Code Act (Commonwealth) 1995, an offense punishable by a maximum penalty punishable by imprisonment for life,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.
The 16-year-old has been refused bail and will appear for a bedside hearing tomorrow.
The alleged attack and its ugly aftermath, which left several officers injured by projectiles and around fifty police vehicles damaged, were condemned across the political spectrum.
On Wednesday evening, police announced they had arrested a 19-year-old man – the first to be prosecuted over the ‘public order incident’. He has since been released on bail.
Bishop Emmanuel was rushed to Liverpool hospital where he has been recovering for the past few days.
On Thursday morning, Bishop Emmanuel broke the silence from his hospital bed to plead for calm and to forgive his alleged attacker.
‘The Lord Jesus never taught us to fight. The Lord Jesus never taught us to take revenge,” Bishop Emmanuel said.
‘The Lord Jesus never said to us an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
More to come.