EXCLUSIVE
The parents of a teenage boy accused of stabbing several people in a shocking terrorist attack on a church are shocked and saddened by their son’s alleged actions, a family member says.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is said to have attacked 53-year-old Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and stabbed him in the head during his sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, west of Sydney, approximately 7pm on Monday.
Father Isaac Royel, who serves in the Assyrian ministry at St Shimun Bar Sabbae and St Mary Cathedral, was one of several parishioners who tried to intervene – and is said to have suffered cuts and a shoulder wound as a result.
Churchgoers said they saw the alleged perpetrator wandering past the church before the attack and said he stood out from regular parishioners.
“He knew the service was being streamed live and was waiting for the camera to turn on before the (alleged) attack,” Mary Anoya said.
Both the men and the 16-year-old boy were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where the teen remains under police guard.
Now a relative has revealed the family’s shock at last night’s event, describing the boy as a “quiet teenager” who was “not a terrorist or ISIS sympathizer.”
A 16-year-old boy (pictured) has been arrested over a terror attack on a church in Sydney’s west
The alleged attack was streamed live on the church’s YouTube page
“His parents are panicking, they didn’t know what to do or why this was happening,” the relative said.
“He’s just a kid who spends a lot of time at home, but doesn’t even have a computer. I know what has been reported about what he said, but it doesn’t fit this child.
“He’s very quiet… He wants to leave school and get a job, maybe in construction.”
The boy is one of three children. His father, a taxi driver, is a Lebanese immigrant who moved to Australia 25 years ago. The family lives in a simple house in the south west of Sydney.
The relative said the teen’s parents live “like regular Aussies” but became concerned on Monday when their son left home and did not return.
After the alleged stabbing, the relative said the boy’s “panicked” father contacted him.
“They didn’t know where their son was or what was going on,” he said.
‘They are simple people, a good family, but I had to help them get information from the police about where to go.
“As far as I knew, (the teen) hasn’t had any trouble before, and the idea that he’s following ISIS is insane.”
Police searched the family’s home on Tuesday, with detectives carrying two large evidence bags and a black suitcase out of the property.
Bishop Emmanuel (left) and Father Royel (right) were rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries
Family members who showed up to show their support for the boy’s parents were seen coming and going from the property throughout the afternoon.
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, the boy’s father passed the phone to another relative, who said: ‘Sorry mate, they’re not really in a state of conversation.’
The new details come after it was revealed the boy had previously appeared in court on knife charges.
In November he was charged with a string of offenses – including knife possession, stalking and/or intimidation and recklessly destroying or damaging property – following an incident at a Sydney train station involving three other teenage boys.
He was released on bail and given good behavior bail in January after his case was ‘proven’.
It is understood that at the time of the alleged attack, he was no longer subject to court orders or supervision by law enforcement authorities.
Bishop Mar Mari is a respected leader of an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox sect that has gained thousands of followers on social media.
He rose to prominence during the pandemic when he branded Sydney’s Covid lockdown “mass slavery” and claimed vaccines are useless because “normal” living will boost immunity.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb labeled the overnight stabbing a “terror incident”, with detectives investigating whether the boy had links to extremist ideologies.
Gruesome images of the alleged attack, which were broadcast live to the church YouTube page shows dozens of parishioners screaming and running to the bishop’s aid as he fell to the ground.
The boy was then restrained until police arrived on the scene.
The incident sparked riots when an angry crowd of parishioners clashed with police as they fought to gain access to the boy, who had to be separated from the crowd for his own safety.
During the commotion, projectiles were thrown at officers, more than twenty police vehicles were damaged and property was stolen.
Two police officers were taken to hospital after being injured by members of the crowd who “invaded a number of houses to obtain weapons to throw at the police.”
The 16-year-old was taken from the church and taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery for hand injuries sustained during the alleged attack.
He accidentally cut off one of his own fingers during the alleged attack, after rumors initially spread on social media that he had been injured by vigilantes.
A joint NSW Counter Terrorism Team has been launched to investigate the incident, comprising members of the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the NSW Crime Commission.