A church leader and several worshippers were stabbed at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney’s west last night. The event was live-streamed.
Per NSW Police, the injured people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by paramedics.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was among those stabbed.
Aftermath
NSW police initially said a male had been arrested and was assisting with inquiries. They’ve since confirmed a 16-year-old boy is in custody.
Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone told Sky News he urged the local community to “remain calm” and stay away from the scene.
Police also urged people to avoid the church.
In the hours following the stabbing, crowds gathered outside the church in Wakeley. According to police, “projectiles were thrown at officers… a number of police officers were injured [and] police vehicles damaged”, and property stolen”.
Police response
This morning, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb declared the stabbing a terrorist incident.
Webb said police were satisfied it was “religious motivated extremism” because of the “intimidation of the public”, including those watching online.
Govt response
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was concerned about “the role of social media” after videos of the attack were published online.
“There is no place for violence in our community. There’s no place for violent extremism. We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country,” Albanese said.
About the church
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has a large following on social media.
His sermons are broadcast on the church’s YouTube channel, which has almost 200,000 subscribers.
