A 15-year old stabbed a Christian bishop during a church service in Sydney, Australia Monday evening and shouted “Allah Akbar” afterwards. He can be seen held on the floor afterwards, smiling triumphantly. The attack comes two days after a brutal knife attack in a nearby Sydney suburb, where a man killed six people and injured 12 more with a 30-cm hunting knife. Disturbing video footage shows the boy clad in a black hoodie approaching the pulpit at Christ The Good Shepherd Church as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was delivering a sermon, which was being broadcast on live television. The man stabbed Emmanuel in the chest and as the preacher fell to the floor, he stabbed him another five times. Brave worshippers ran to Emmanuel's defence and were able to pull the assailant away from him.The assailant stabbed several members of the congregation as well, injuring at least four other people. None of the injuries were life-threatening. The bishop was removed from the building on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. The teen was arrested at the scene of the crime. New South Wales (NSW) police said the attacker was “removed from the church and taken to an undisclosed location,” according to local media the Sydney Morning Herald. Please be advised the following video contains graphic content. .Deputy mayor Charnel Saliba said witnesses told him that after Emmanuel was stabbed, the bishop “put his hand on the assailant and started praying."One man who tackled the attacker to the ground later confirmed, “He kept saying 'Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar,'” Rebel News Australia reported. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of people gathered outside the church to demand justice for the gruesome attack, prompting police to station riot squad officers with shields on-site to push back the crowd. Video footage shows people rioting and attempting to push a ladder through a window. Some police cars were damaged. Community members believed the attacker was still inside. The result was a large standoff between protestors and the hundreds of police officers deployed to manage the quickly gathering crowd. A police helicopter circled overhead repeating over a loudspeaker, “All persons, please vacate the area immediately.”.Footage from the evening’s events on the Herald’s website shows Emmanuel on the floor after the attack with churchgoers pressing bandages on his wounds. The attacker can be seen on the floor surrounded by police mumbling about how people were praying (to Allah) he would come and do this. Among those injured are a man in his 50s and a man in his 30s, each taken to Liverpool Hospital with multiple lacerations. A man in his 60s with lacerations on his arm and a man in his 20s with lacerations on his hand were treated on-scene.The bishop is outspoken against gender ideology and COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. He also played a key role in the Christian Lives Matter movement and is a member of the Assyrian Orthodox church. .NSW acting assistant commissioner Andrew Holland has since identified the assailant as “known to police.” The suspect is being treated for wounds on his hands and is in a secure place, said Holland at a press conference, per the Daily Mail. “Police have initially spoken to the young person again, his injuries are quite severe in his hand. He's fairly upset and very distraught,” said Holland. “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 church until later in the night.”Holland also credited the members of the congregation to sprang into action. “The parishioners did a fantastic job subduing (the assailant) after he stabbed the two clergy members,” he said.
A 15-year old stabbed a Christian bishop during a church service in Sydney, Australia Monday evening and shouted “Allah Akbar” afterwards. He can be seen held on the floor afterwards, smiling triumphantly. The attack comes two days after a brutal knife attack in a nearby Sydney suburb, where a man killed six people and injured 12 more with a 30-cm hunting knife. Disturbing video footage shows the boy clad in a black hoodie approaching the pulpit at Christ The Good Shepherd Church as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was delivering a sermon, which was being broadcast on live television. The man stabbed Emmanuel in the chest and as the preacher fell to the floor, he stabbed him another five times. Brave worshippers ran to Emmanuel's defence and were able to pull the assailant away from him.The assailant stabbed several members of the congregation as well, injuring at least four other people. None of the injuries were life-threatening. The bishop was removed from the building on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. The teen was arrested at the scene of the crime. New South Wales (NSW) police said the attacker was “removed from the church and taken to an undisclosed location,” according to local media the Sydney Morning Herald. Please be advised the following video contains graphic content. .Deputy mayor Charnel Saliba said witnesses told him that after Emmanuel was stabbed, the bishop “put his hand on the assailant and started praying."One man who tackled the attacker to the ground later confirmed, “He kept saying 'Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar,'” Rebel News Australia reported. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of people gathered outside the church to demand justice for the gruesome attack, prompting police to station riot squad officers with shields on-site to push back the crowd. Video footage shows people rioting and attempting to push a ladder through a window. Some police cars were damaged. Community members believed the attacker was still inside. The result was a large standoff between protestors and the hundreds of police officers deployed to manage the quickly gathering crowd. A police helicopter circled overhead repeating over a loudspeaker, “All persons, please vacate the area immediately.”.Footage from the evening’s events on the Herald’s website shows Emmanuel on the floor after the attack with churchgoers pressing bandages on his wounds. The attacker can be seen on the floor surrounded by police mumbling about how people were praying (to Allah) he would come and do this. Among those injured are a man in his 50s and a man in his 30s, each taken to Liverpool Hospital with multiple lacerations. A man in his 60s with lacerations on his arm and a man in his 20s with lacerations on his hand were treated on-scene.The bishop is outspoken against gender ideology and COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. He also played a key role in the Christian Lives Matter movement and is a member of the Assyrian Orthodox church. .NSW acting assistant commissioner Andrew Holland has since identified the assailant as “known to police.” The suspect is being treated for wounds on his hands and is in a secure place, said Holland at a press conference, per the Daily Mail. “Police have initially spoken to the young person again, his injuries are quite severe in his hand. He's fairly upset and very distraught,” said Holland. “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 church until later in the night.”Holland also credited the members of the congregation to sprang into action. “The parishioners did a fantastic job subduing (the assailant) after he stabbed the two clergy members,” he said.
