Sydney church shooting: Disturbing audio message circulates among Muslims after attack: ‘These children have been poisoned’

The boy accused of stabbing a bishop as he delivered a sermon had been mentally ‘poisoned’ in the run-up to the alleged attack, Muslims who prayed with him have claimed.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly lunged at Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 53, and stabbed him in the head at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney, about 7pm on Monday.

Father Isaac Royel, who serves in the Assyrian Ministry at St. Shimun Bar Sabbae and St. Mary Cathedral, was among many parishioners who tried to intervene – and as a result, he reportedly suffered lacerations and a shoulder wound.

In the wake of the incident, a WhatsApp audio message circulated among Sydney’s Muslim community, purportedly identifying the accused boy, The Australian reported.

“Unfortunately, unfortunately, the (alleged attacker) prayed today (with us) … These children have been poisoned by a monster,” the audio message said.

“This boy has been poisoned,” the message continued. ‘This kid, as soon as I saw (the videos), it’s him. Keep calm, be patient, inshallah.’

Police declared the alleged stabbing, which unfolded on live stream, an act of terrorism – with federal and state police saying it was motivated by religious extremism.

But given the accused knifeman’s young age, some have questioned the decision to label the incident terror-related, insisting that mental health may have been the overriding factor.

However, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he is comfortable with the police’s decision.

“It’s really important to know, and I made it clear to community leaders that I spoke to today, that this is not a designation of the person of interest who is currently in police custody,” he told the ABC’s 7.30- report.

“This is a designation required by law to release powers for that investigation and the police made that decision. This is not a performative gesture.’

The suspected attacker is pictured in the aftermath of the stabbing

Minns said the state’s police commissioner, Karen Webb, made the decision “on information suggesting a religiously motivated attack,” which was also allegedly premeditated.

When asked if the decision had been made correctly, the prime minister said: ‘I think it was’.

“This is a judgment call,” he added. ‘My assessment is that it was the right decision last night.’

The churchgoers said they had seen the alleged perpetrator wandering around the perimeter of the church before the attack and said he stood out from the regular parishioners.

“He knew the service was being live streamed and he was waiting for the camera to turn on before the (alleged) attack,” Mary Anoya said.

Both injured men and the 16-year-old boy were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The teenager remains in police custody.

The incident sparked furore as around 2,000 people arrived at the church and clashed with police as they tried to reach the teenager while chanting ‘eye to eye’

The incident sparked riots as an angry crowd of parishioners clashed with police as they fought to gain access to the boy, who had to be separated from the crowd for his own safety.

During the furore, projectiles were thrown at officers, more than 20 police cars were damaged and property was stolen.

Two police officers were taken to hospital after being injured by members of the crowd who broke into ‘a number of houses to grab weapons to throw at the police’.

The 16-year-old was removed from the church and taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery for hand injuries sustained during the alleged attack.

He accidentally cut off one of his own fingers during the alleged attack after rumors initially spread on social media that he had been injured by vigilantes.

A NSW joint Counter Terrorism Team has been launched to investigate the incident, comprising members from the NSW Police Force, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the NSW Crime Commission.