CHURCH HORROR
Bishop attacked during streamed sermon
An Australian cleric was stabbed multiple times during his livestreamed sermon Monday night, sparking riots in Sydney as a 15year-old boy was taken into custody.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was attacked while speaking at Christ The Good Shepherd Church, an Assyrian Orthodox institution in Wakeley, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney.
“Those violent pictures [from the livestream] are probably what caused the uproar in the community. People saw that, responded and, unfortunately, we ended up with a public order incident,” New South Wales acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters.
In video of the livestream, the bishop appears to try to talk to the teen, who then stabs him in the face and neck just after 7 p.m.
Emmanuel then falls to the floor as congregants jump to his aid.
He was rushed to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, the church posted on Instagram.
Two others were injured. Police said the teen, who was known to cops and not a regular attendee of the church, was apprehended by parishioners, and was taken to an “undisclosed location.”
Thousands rioted in the streets while they waited for the suspect to be marched out of the church.
“Bring him out! Bring him out!” angry people in the mob shout in a video posted to social media.
Other footage shows a large crowd rioting at the scene and apparently damaging property, with dozens of people bashing in an ambulance window.
At least two police officers were injured during clashes with the mob.
The teen was treated for a severe hand injury amid rumors his finger was cut off in an act of revenge following the stabbing.
Calls for ‘calm’
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has called for “calm” amid the “disturbing” scenes in Sydney.
Emmanuel has gained a following online in recent years as an outspoken critic of COVID restrictions.
More recently, he has gained an audience for his sermons condemning the war in Gaza and calling for peace.
He has more than 39,500 followers on TikTok.
The attack on the bishop came two days after a knife-wielding man stabbed more than a dozen people at a popular mall in Sydney.
Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people in the rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction.
He was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott, the first officer on the scene, according to New South Wales police.
It does not appear that the two attacks were linked.