Australia says Assyrian church stabbing was terrorist act

SYDNEY: Australian police on Tuesday said a knife attack on an Assyrian church bishop and some followers in Sydney was a terrorist act.

At least four people were wounded in the attack, including Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church, when a man lunged at him with a knife during a service live-streamed on Monday.

The incident at the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley triggered clashes outside the church between police and an angry crowd of the bishop’s followers who demanded the attacker be handed over to them.

Police arrested a male teenager at the scene on Monday and were forced to hold him at the church for his own safety as the crowd of worshippers gathered outside.

Police said there was premeditation as the male attacker travelled to the church, far from his home, with a knife. But Webb said police at this early stage of the investigation believe the attacker was acting alone.

Christ the Good Shepherd Church in a statement called the attack an isolated incident and said it was awaiting the police findings into the motive of the attacker.

“The Church denounces retaliation of any kind,” it said.

‘TIME TO UNITE’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was no place in Australia for violent extremism.

“We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country,” he said during a media conference.

Bishop Emmanuel’s live-streamed sermons attract a global audience and his video clips rack up hundreds of thousands of views online. He became well known for his hardline views during the pandemic when he described lockdowns as “mass slavery”, media reported at the time.

Australia’s spy chief said he would check people close to the attacker to rule out any further threats to the community.