Sydney church stabbing: A number of people were injured in a stabbing at a church in Sydney's west, police authorities said on Monday. Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries, a police statement said.
According to 9News, the attack happened at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley while a bishop was giving a service that was being live-streamed online. Those who were injured included a popular bishop and three other men, believed to be aged in their 60s, 50s, 30s, and 20s. The church had advertised tonight's sermon was being delivered by His Grace Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
He was due to give an Assyrian Bible preaching that started at 7 pm, local media reported. Videos of the incident circulating online showed a man lunging and stabbing a speaker.
Second stabbing incident in the last three days
It is worth mentioning it was the second stabbing incident in Sydney after six people were killed in a knife attack at a mall in Sydney's Bondi area on Saturday.
One witness told Reuters that the priest attacked was Mar Mari Emmanuel, who is the bishop of the church. "There was so much anger because the bishop is loved by them, he’s loved by myself as well, he preaches about the lord and we love the lord,” said a local resident Canny, who also saw the bishop put in an ambulance.
Emmanuel was ordained a priest in 2009 and then a bishop in 2011, according to the church's website. The bishop appears to be a popular figure on social media, with clips of his sermons garnering millions of views on platforms including TikTok.
Non-life-threatening injuries
The wounded people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were being treated by paramedics, police said.
The New South Wales ambulance service said at least four people were injured including a man in his 50s who was taken to hospital in a serious condition. There are 11 ambulances on the scene. "It’s important that the community remain calm and continue to listen and act to the directions of Police and Emergency Services," New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said in a social media post.
(With inputs from agency)
Also Read: Australia: 6 dead, including attacker, after multiple stabbings spark panic at Sydney shopping mall
