Wakeley church stabbing: The miracle that saved BishopMar Marie Emmanuel’s life and kept his alleged attacker from killing him: ‘Act of God’
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel’s life was saved when his alleged attacker’s jackknife failed to open properly during the frenzied attack – and the suspect cut off his own finger during the botched attack.
Close friend Danny Abdallah spoke to the bishop as he recovered in hospital that night and revealed new details about the incident on Tuesday morning.
Abdallah – who lost three of his children and his niece to a drunk and drugged driver – called the bishop’s miraculous escape an “act of God.”
Bishop Emmanuel was reportedly stabbed several times after the incident and taken to hospital in stable condition. This incident was livestreamed online.
A 16-year-old boy, dressed in black, was seen walking calmly towards the bishop at his altar at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Western Sydney, at around 7.10pm on Monday.
He appeared to deliver a series of blows while holding an implement in his hands, repeatedly hitting the bishop.
In the video clip, the alleged attacker pauses to look at his hand before resuming the attack, but failed to properly open the jackknife.
It has now been confirmed that the attacker cut his own finger with the knife during the attack.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel’s life was saved when his alleged attacker’s jackknife failed to open properly during the frenzied attack (photo)
Danny Abdallah (pictured with his wife), who lost three children and a niece in 2020, called the alleged knifeman’s struggle to open the knife ‘an act of God’
“He (the alleged knifeman) went for the face and when he went for the face it (the knife) didn’t open,” Abdallah told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
He told Fordham that Bishop appeared to be recovering well Tuesday morning from the attack, which has since been labeled by police as an alleged terrorist incident.
“Look, as far as I know, everything is fine,” Abdallah said of Bishop Emmanuel. “He wasn’t hurt that much yesterday. He was in a stable condition.
“He’s a good man, he’s a spiritual man. He loves his church, he loves his people.”
Father Isaac Royel was also one of four people injured in the incident, which has now been declared a terrorist attack.
Mr Abdallah lost three of his children – Sienna, eight, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13 – and his 11-year-old niece, Veronique Sakr, in a tragic accident in Western Sydney in 2020.
The family is very religious and Mr Abdallah is friends with Bishop Emmanuel.
The alleged knifeman (held in the photo) has been labeled a suspected terrorist by police
A crowd gathered outside Christ The Good Shepherd Church (pictured) in Wakeley in the aftermath of the incident, leaving a number of people injured
Mr Abdallah also took the opportunity to condemn the actions of a gang that attacked police following the arrest of the alleged knifeman.
Hundreds of Bishop Emmanuel gathered outside the church in protest against the alleged stabbing. It is understood they believed the alleged attacker was still inside.
The protest quickly turned into a violent riot that injured thirty people, including police officers.
Footage showed the crowd throwing bottles and rocks at a police barrier and shouting “an eye for an eye” and “bringing him out.”
Prime Minister Chris Minns said at a press conference on Tuesday morning: ‘There is no such thing as taking the law into your own hands in Australia.
“You will face the full force of the law if there is tit-for-tat violence in Sydney in the coming days.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said 20 police cars were damaged during the riots.
“The police officers, of which there were many, acted courageously to protect that community, witnesses, victims and paramedics,” she said.
“They went there last night to do their work and they were excited.”
It is understood 30 people have been injured in riots (pictured) following the alleged stabbing on Monday evening
Footage showed the crowd throwing bottles and rocks at a police barrier and shouting “an eye for an eye” and “bringing him out” (photo, remnants of Tuesday’s riot)
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dom Morgan claimed several paramedics were trapped in the church due to the riot.
“Paramedics were threatened and… had to retreat to the church,” he said.
“The officers who serve this community and the police department every day sat in that church for three and a half hours.
Six of our paramedics were unable to leave that facility for fear of their own safety.”
Up to 100 police officers, including riot police officers, were called to the scene together with POL AIR.
Abdallah said of the riot: “I condemn it, it is not right.
“They should have left it to the police to take care of it, they shouldn’t have done what they did.
“These are children who see him as a spiritual father and feel like their father was stabbed and probably angry, but they still don’t have the right to do what they did.”
Footage taken immediately after the attack showed the teenage knifeman being pinned down by at least three people, including a police officer.
The teen appeared to smile and mock his captors as they held him in place.
One man, with blood visible on his jeans, sat with his legs astride his head.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) said 20 police cars were damaged during the riots
“People are praying and you come and do this?” he said.
The police officer intervened: “Stop, please let go. You’re going to make it worse.’
Police have said the alleged attack was an act of terror.
‘Strike Force Petrina has been established to investigate that side of last night’s events and a referral has been made by the Joint Counter Terrorism Investigation Team and it has been agreed that we will work with the NSW Police Chief, AFP and other agencies in this investigation the Commonwealth. ” said Commissioner Webb.