4 injured in stabbing at Sydney Church, suspect in custody

A live-streamed attack at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney’s Wakeley left four people, including a bishop, wounded and a suspect in custody

A disturbing attack at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney’s suburb of Wakeley left four people wounded on Monday evening.

The incident occurred during a live-streamed church service and involved a man assaulting a bishop and three others. Authorities have taken the suspect into custody.

In the middle of the service, an assailant dressed in black approached Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and attacked him with a knife, causing immediate panic among the congregation. Attendees quickly intervened, attempting to subdue the attacker until the police arrived and arrested him.

The New South Wales Ambulance provided immediate care to the injured, confirming that none faced life-threatening conditions. “The injured individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by New South Wales Ambulance paramedics before being conveyed to the hospital,” the police stated.

The attack shocked religious and community leaders. Murray Norman, CEO of Faith New South Wales, reacted to the events, stating, “Tonight, Bishop Emmanuel was stabbed, it’s a hideous thing, I can’t believe this can happen in Australia during a mass.”

Alex Ryvchin, a Jewish community leader from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, expressed his horror on social media: “I’m horrified by the stabbing attack on a bishop at an Assyrian Church in Sydney. I stand in complete solidarity with the beautiful Assyrian community and pray that the injured recover fully in body and soul.”

The incident closely follows another stabbing tragedy at a Sydney shopping mall that claimed six lives, stirring further unease in the city. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has called for calm and reassured the public via social media, emphasizing community strength in the face of such violence: “It’s important that we all stick together, particularly in the face of adversity.”

Police are investigating the motives behind the church attack as the community continues to reel from the recent surge in public violence. This event has deeply impacted the local Assyrian community, who predominantly populate the Wakeley neighborhood and are now grappling with the violent breach of their sacred space.

Source: Newsroom