Church stabbing Sydney, Wakeley: Rumors from police address, boy’s finger cut off after allegedly stabbing bishop
Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy after he allegedly stabbed a prominent bishop and three other men during a church service in Sydney’s south-west.
Video of the service, which was live streamed by the church, showed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley at around 7.10pm on Monday.
After the attack, around 2,000 parishioners and local supporters thronged the church as they searched for the suspected attacker, and riots broke out as police tried to restore order.
Police said the suspected assailant had serious hand injuries, amid speculation at the scene that he had his fingers cut off after first being caught by churchgoers.
The officers had to barricade themselves inside the church with the 15-year-old for several hours, while the violence continued outside.
A number of police officers were injured as they struggled to contain the angry crowd.
Police have said none of the injuries sustained by any of the four victims of the alleged stabbing were life-threatening.
It is understood that Father Isaac Royel, who serves in the Assyrian Ministry at St. Shimun Bar Sabbae and St. Mary Cathedral, was among the injured.
In a statement published shortly before At 10.30pm, Christ The Good Shepherd Church revealed that both Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac were in a ‘stable condition’.
Crowds also formed at Liverpool Hospital after at least some of those injured in the church were taken there for treatment.
It is understood the hospital went into lockdown as a result.
Christian leader Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was allegedly attacked at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on Monday evening.
Footage has emerged of the alleged attacker being pinned down on his front by at least three people, including a police officer, as he smiled and appeared to taunt his captors
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was helped by churchgoers after the alleged attack (pictured)
Alleged attack
Shocking footage of the alleged attack showed the bishop speaking at the church’s pulpit as a man dressed in black calmly walked towards him.
The bishop, looking down, only noticed the suspected attacker at the last moment and put his hands up to block the hand coming down in a stabbing motion to his face and neck.
The bishop then fell to the ground.
Screams were heard from the crowd as more people rushed forward to try to help.
The footage was taken from a live stream from the church’s YouTube page.
Some of those injured in the attack were taken to Liverpool Hospital (pictured), which went into lockdown after large crowds formed outside
Angry crowds gathered in south-west Sydney after the stabbing attack
A wounded police officer at the scene of the stabbing in Wakeley
Rumors the boy’s finger cut off
NSW Police provided an update in the early hours of Tuesday morning, confirming the alleged attacker was known to police and was not a regular church attendee.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the boy had initially been apprehended by worshippers, but police had taken him to an “undisclosed location”.
He had asked to speak to his parents.
Comm Holland was also asked about rumors that the boy had his fingers cut off immediately after the attack when he was held down by several people.
A man, with blood on his jeans, was seen straddling the suspected attacker’s head with his legs.
The video also showed the boy apparently smiling at the camera.
“Reports are that he has injuries to his hands – I don’t know the extent of those injuries at this time,” Comm Holland said.
“His injuries are quite serious in his hand, he is quite upset and quite distraught.”
Riots erupted after the alleged stabbing, with video posted on social media showing police vehicles and ambulances damaged.
Police said officers continued to ‘work to restore order’ after the disturbances and will continue to monitor places of worship overnight.
Crowds formed outside Liverpool Hospital as injured worshipers received treatment
Chaos breaks out
In a statement, the church confirmed that another prominent member of its community, Father Isaac Royel, was among the injured.
‘We ask for your prayers at this time,’ the statement read.
‘It is the wish of the bishop and the father that you also pray for the perpetrator.
‘We are also asking everyone in the church grounds to please leave in peace.’
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone said the alleged attack was “horrific” and he understood people were “confused,” but he also called for calm.
“I understand a lot of people are upset, and rightly so,” he told Sky News.
‘I feel for everyone who witnessed it (stabbing), but I urge calm.
‘The police will do their job and please let’s not make the police’s job harder.’
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone called for calm amid the chaotic scenes in Sydney’s west
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the scene as ‘disturbing’.
“I have received a briefing from the Commissioner of Police and NSW Health on the situation,” he said in a statement.
‘My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and first responders working to keep us safe.
“It is important that the community remains calm and continues to listen and act according to the instructions of the police and emergency services.
“We are a strong community in NSW and it is important that we all stick together, especially in the face of adversity.”
A NSW Ambulance spokesman told NCA NewsWire that a man in his 50s was taken to Liverpool Hospital with multiple stab wounds.
The attack on the bishop comes just three days after six people were killed in a knife massacre at Sydney’s Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center
Three other people were also injured – a man in his 30s suffered multiple lacerations, a man in his twenties suffered a cut to his hand and a man in his sixties had a wound to his arm.
“Officers attached to Fairfield City Police Area Command, supported by multiple police resources from a range of commands and specialist units, attended,” police said in a statement.
‘A man was arrested and remains in police custody.
‘The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital.’
The attack on the bishop came just three days after a knife attack across town at Westfield Bondi Junction left six people dead.