Bishop and worshippers injured in Sydney church stabbing

A bishop and several worshippers were injured when a man wielding a knife attacked them at a Sydney church yesterday.

Four people were injured in the incident at Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, about 30km west of the city centre.

Officers detained a suspect. The victims suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The service was live streamed and footage captured the moment the suspect leapt at Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.

The video was shared widely online and showed a man dressed in black approaching the bishop and appearing to repeatedly stab him.

As police detained the attacker, hundreds of people gathered outside to demand he be handed over.

Some of those in the crowd clashed with riot police and vehicles were damaged.

The church and local leaders pleaded for calm.

“A large police response is under way and the public is urged to avoid the area,” police said.

In a message on social media, the church said the bishop and a senior priest, Isaac Royel, were in a stable condition at a hospital and asked for people to pray for them.

“It is the bishop’s and father’s wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator,” the church said. “We also kindly ask anyone at the church premises to leave in peace.”

Bishop Emmanuel has been described in Australian media as a divisive figure.

The incident is the second stabbing in Sydney to attract global attention in two days after six people were killed in a knife attack at a mall in the city’s Bondi area on Saturday.

The attacker was shot and killed by a sole police inspector who was first on the scene.