AUSTRALIAN police have declared the stabbing at a church in a Sydney suburb a “terror act”.
New South Wales police officers rushed to the scene where they detained a fifteen-year-old boy accused of stabbing a Bishop and three others during Mass.
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The incident happened while Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching on Monday afternoon at Sydney’s Wakeley church – just days after six were stabbed to death at a mall in Sydney.
Police arrested the attacker and held him at the church after an angry mob congregated outside the church and demanded revenge.
Cops have now labelled the incident a “terrorist act motivated by suspected religious extremism”.
NWS Police Commissioner Karen Webb said: “At 1.35am this morning, after consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism.”
Webb confirmed that a strike force has been established to investigate the incident and that police forces across New South Wales will be coordinating to resolve the incident.
New South Wales Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland added that the fifteen-year-old suspect was “known to police” and was not a regular attendee at the church.
Holland revealed that the investigators spoke to the suspect early on Tuesday morning.
Holland said: “He’s fairly upset and very distraught. He’s asked to speak to his parents at this stage and we’re making arrangements with his parents to make contact with him.
“Police are obviously making sure that that young person is safe and, and obviously with the action of the parishioners and obviously the local community, there was concerns for his safety.
“Hence, the decision was made to detain him in the in the church until later in the night.”
Just weeks before the deplorable attack, the Bishop revealed that he had received many threats on his life over social media.
In one sermon, he said: “There’s been a video circulating on TikTok and I don’t know where else, saying that the bishop has two weeks to live.”
The brave Bishop claimed that the threats had not affected him as death could only bring him closer to the Lord.
He said: “Whether I stay or not, that doesn’t matter, really. I’ve had my share of this world. And I pray that the Lord takes me today before tomorrow, I want to be with him.
“I’m saying it with confidence in the Lord Jesus, I love you, Lord, and I choose you.
“Any time of the day, all day long, to be with you. I don’t care about the world and whatever the world gives.
“Thank the person who did this video. Thank you so much. I didn’t know that I was dying in two weeks.
“I’m not sure if I will go in two weeks’ time; maybe I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think I am sick, and I’m dying.”
The chilling sermon ended with the Bishop laughing about the threats, adding: “Sorry guys, I’m still sitting on your heart.”
The attack on Monday afternoon saw a teenager dressed in black knife Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a livestreamed Mass at a church in Wakeley.
YouTube livestream footage showed Bishop Emmanuel speaking at an altar when a teen dressed in a dark hoodie approached him.
The teen calmly walked up to the elderly church leader before suddenly lunging at him, raising a hand which appeared to hold a knife and stabbing furiously at the bishop.
The church leader fell to the ground and screams could be heard from the congregation as several churchgoers rushed forward to help.
At least three other people were stabbed just after 7pm on Monday night at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church.
Bishop Emmanuel – who has a huge following on social media – was reportedly stabbed multiple times and rushed to hospital.
Footage showed him being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher in front of a growing crowd outside.
The attacker was detained by parishioners on the floor before cops swooped in and arrested him.
New South Wales Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said: “Those violent pictures are probably what caused the uproar in the community – people saw that, responded and unfortunately we ended up with a public order incident.”
Further footage showed the teen smiling at a camera as he lay facedown under the weight of churchgoers – beside a man whose jeans were stained with blood.
Two police officers were reportedly injured in the swarm of over 5,000 people outside of the church.
One report said angry bystanders were shouting for the suspect’s surrender after he was locked inside the building for his safety.
Paramedics confirmed a man in his 50s was taken to hospital with stab wounds.
Three others were treated at the scene – including a man in his 30s and two others with lacerations to the arm and hand.
Sydney’s Liverpool Hospital – where Bishop Emmanuel is reportedly in a stable condition – is said to be in lockdown.
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