Tenth man charged over Wakeley church riot following sweeping raids across Sydney
A tenth man who allegedly took part in a riot outside a church in Sydney’s west after the stabbing of a bishop has been charged.
The fight broke out in the suburb of Wakeley, 35km west of Sydney’s CBD, after the alleged terror stabbing of 53-year-old Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on April 15.
Officers attached to Strike Force Dribs executed a search warrant at a house on Milton Street, Granville, on Saturday in connection with the riot.
A 27-year-old man was arrested at the home and several items believed to be related to the Wakeley incident were seized.
The man was taken to Granville police station where he was charged with rioting and throwing missiles at a police officer in public disorder.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.
A tenth man (pictured centre) who allegedly took part in a riot outside a western Sydney church after a bishop was stabbed has been charged.
The latest arrest of an alleged rioter follows the arrest of seven young people in counter-terrorism raids, which were also a response to last week’s church stabbing.
More than 400 members of a joint state and federal police counter-terrorism team began kicking in doors at 13 homes in Sydney’s south-west about 11.15am on Wednesday.
The attack on Bishop Emmanuel at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church has been declared a religiously motivated terrorist incident.
The arrested were 15, 16 and 17 years old.
“We will allege that these individuals espouse a religiously motivated violent extremist ideology,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said.
“These investigations have progressed since the incident and investigations include extensive surveillance activities and intensive investigations into these individuals.”
The counter-terrorism team said those arrested “posed an unacceptable risk to the people of New South Wales”.
“Our current purely investigative strategies cannot adequately ensure public safety,” Commissioner Hudson said.
“As a result, we came to the conclusion that we needed to escalate our activities and that overt action was necessary.
“I can assure the community that there is no ongoing threat to the community and the action we have taken today has reduced any risk of future or further harm.”
Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett emphasized that the arrests were not racially or religiously motivated.
‘I want to be very clear: we focus on crime and not on countries. We focus on radicalization, not religion,” she said.
“We ask Australians to remain vigilant. “I urge anyone who sees or hears something that they believe is incorrect to contact the National Security Hotline immediately.”
Officers attached to Strike Force Dribs executed a search warrant at a house on Milton Street, Granville, on Saturday in connection with the riot
A 27-year-old man was arrested at the scene and several items believed to be related to the Wakeley incident were seized.
The raids took place in Bankstown, Prestons, Casula, Lurnea, Rydalmere, Greenacre, Strathfield, Chester Hill and Punchbowl, as well as a property in Goulburn, 195km south-west of Sydney.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is accused of stabbing Bishop Emmanuel during a livestreamed sermon to parishioners.
He was charged with terrorist offenses and refused bail.
The use of the term terrorism by police indicates that authorities believe the incident was religiously or politically motivated.
Witnesses to the attack on the bishop said the alleged perpetrator used the Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar” and allegedly said in Arabic that Bishop Emmanuel had denigrated “my prophet.”
The man (left) was taken to Granville police station where he was charged with rioting and throwing missiles at a police officer in public disorder.
The stabbing led to a huge riot outside the church, with around 2,000 people chanting ‘bring him out’ and ‘an eye for an eye’.
Police kept the suspected terrorist inside the church during the demonstration, fearing for his safety.
Dozens of police officers were injured and police property was damaged during the riot, with some officers and paramedics forced to take shelter in the church.
Crime Stoppers NSW 1800 333 000
National Security Hotline 1800 123 400