SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Australian police reported the arrest of a teenager following a stabbing inside a church in the suburbs of Sydney that resulted in injuries to several people, including a Christian bishop. After the shocking incident, a 15-year-old was detained by the authorities, leaving both on-site attendees and live-streaming viewers of the ecclesiastical service in shock.
Interim assistant police commissioner for New South Wales, Andrew Holland, disclosed that the adolescent suspect was receiving medical treatment for wounds on his hand. The aftermath of the violent rampage witnessed the authorities transporting the suspect into custody amid an agitated crowd of church followers.
Before the arrest, the police were called to an address in the town of Wakeley after receiving reports of several stabbings. Their official statement confirmed the detained male was aiding their inquiry and assured the injuries sustained by the victims were non-life-threatening.
A video on social media purportedly shows a man dressed in black launching a repeated stabbing attack on a bishop at the altar, causing mass panic amongst the congregants.
Matching the location provided by the police, the Christ The Good Shepherd Church, known as an Assyrian Christian church, was speculated to be the incident site. This incident arrives in the aftermath of another shocking knife attack at a bustling Sydney shopping Centre on Saturday. The assailant claimed six lives before being fatally shot by the police.
Mar Mari Emmanuel, identified as the bishop on the Church’s website, was previously in the limelight through an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report featuring him. During a sermon, the bishop made contentious remarks about the LGBTQ+ community.