Australian police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old teenager for attacking a bishop and a clergyman with a knife at a Sydney church during a sermon broadcast on the Internet.
The suspect was given first aid for wounds to his hands – his fingers were said to have been cut off – and taken to safety as the attack sparked outrage among churchgoers, said Andrew Holland, a NSW police officer.
Meanwhile, at least two police officers were hospitalized and vehicles damaged during violent protests following a knife attack at an Assyrian temple in Sydney, police said. At the temple, clashes began with the police, who were trying to save the criminal from lynching.
Full blown riot in Western Sydney outside the Assyrian Aramaic Church following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and multiple priests.
Police have the suspect in custody and the crowds want to lynch him. All filmed by @Chriscoveries pic.twitter.com/qMGMcvlUU9— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼🇨🇾 (@DrewPavlou) April 15, 2024
Footage filmed by @Chriscoveries shows angry crowds throwing bricks at riot police holding the line at the Assyrian Aramaic Church in Western Sydney where Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and multiple priests were stabbed tonight pic.twitter.com/c7fOf2WsOa
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼🇨🇾 (@DrewPavlou) April 15, 2024
Officers were hit by people throwing “bottles, bricks and other objects,” Holland said.
🚨🇦🇺#BREAKING: Footage of Mari Mari Emmanuel being escorted out of the church by paramedics. https://t.co/qHkOTK1Ypf pic.twitter.com/ha11IAvt8r
— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) April 15, 2024
The bishop targeted is from Iraq, which was home to a large Assyrian minority dating back to antiquity before the 2015 ISIS massacre.
The attack occurred during a sermon in church The Good Shepherd Church (Good Shepherd) in the Wakeley area, west of Sydney, on Monday afternoon (local time) when the bishop suddenly saw an unknown man with a knife approach him at the altar and stab him several times.
https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/1779820975615541685
The bishop recently traveled to Gaza, where he met with Palestinian civilians, including children.
This incident occurred a few days after previous attack on the shopping centerwhich resulted in the death of six innocent citizens.
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