Wakeley church stabbing: Parents of teenage boy who allegedly attacked bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel break their silence
The devastated parents of a teenager charged with terrorism after allegedly stabbing a bishop claim he was ‘not in his right mind’.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 55, as he delivered a livestreamed sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, west, on April 15 from Sydney. .
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 the teenager inside the building out of fear for his safety.
His parents have now broken their silence, thanking police for protecting their son and expressing relief that Bishop Emmanuel survived the alleged attack.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on Monday, April 15, while delivering a livestream sermon to parishioners at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, west of Sydney. after 7 p.m. (photo). He was later charged with committing a terrorist act
Four middle-aged boys were arrested in anti-terror attacks in Sydney’s west last Wednesday. Among them were a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds (photo: one of those arrested)
“If he was really religious, like we raised him, he wouldn’t have done that,” she said ABC.
‘He made a big mistake, a very big mistake.
“But I don’t think he was in his right mind.”
Their son was later charged with terrorism and faces life imprisonment.
Following a series of raids in the aftermath of the alleged attack, police have charged six more boys, some as young as 14, accused of being part of a terrorist network.
In elementary school, he was bullied and lashed out, his parents said.
“At school, whenever I got a phone call, I would always get scared because I knew they were complaining about him,” his mother said.
ABC Investigations found the boy had contact with extremists in Australia and around the world in the months leading up to the stabbing.
His profile picture on WhatsApp was a photo of Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for 9/11.
After police seized his phone, they discovered he was part of a WhatsApp group called BROTHERHOOD, along with other teenagers who expressed sympathy for violent extremism.
The boy had liked a series of violent posts, including a video in which bin Laden encouraged Muslims to die for their cause.
He posted a final message on Instagram about an hour before the alleged stabbing, imploring Muslims to “achieve victory over their enemies.”
The boy had liked a series of violent posts, including a video in which bin Laden encouraged Muslims to die for their cause
The boy’s profile picture on WhatsApp was a photo of Osama Bin Laden (pictured), the man responsible for 9/11
Bishop Emmanuel, an Orthodox Assyrian with a large online following, has made several controversial comments about Islam, including that “the Prophet Muhammad has failed because he is dead.”
Peta Lowe, youth extremism expert and former director of Countering Violent Extremism for NSW Juvenile Justice, told the ABC it was “very common for individuals to have what they called ‘leakage’ just as they were about to actually to carry out an attack.
“It was a very clear message that he had gotten to the point where he was motivated to act on his beliefs,” Ms Lowe said.
The boy underwent surgery after accidentally cutting off one of his own fingers during the incident.
But his mother revealed his strange reaction when they visited him in hospital after the alleged attack.
“He asked for a hug and a kiss because he saw I was upset,” his mother said.
“Sometimes he laughed, sometimes he said, ‘I don’t know.’
“He showed me his hand like a baby. I don’t think he knew what he was doing.’
His parents also claimed he had become upset after the death of a friend two days before the stabbing.
Four middle-aged boys were arrested in anti-terror attacks in Sydney’s west last Wednesday. They included a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
Police claim they planned to buy shotguns and described themselves as ‘soldiers of Allah’ and claimed that they were ready to ‘die and kill’.
Another two, aged 14 and 16, were charged with possessing extremist material, including videos of Islamic State beheadings.