A Christian bishop and three other individuals were reportedly injured in a stabbing incident at an Australian church on Monday, resulting in a major protest in a suburb of Sydney.
According to Australia’s Sky News, Bishop H.G. Mar Mari Emmanuel is believed to have been stabbed during a livestreamed service at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley at roughly 7:15 p.m. (local time) on Monday. The outlet reported that while the bishop was giving an Assyrian sermon, a man dressed in black was recorded walking toward the bishop and repeatedly stabbing him.
A video of the violent stabbing incident shows members of the congregation screaming and rushing to help the bishop as the suspect continued to stab him.
According to Sky News, the bishop was transported to Liverpool Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. The New South Wales Ambulance Service confirmed to Sky News that four individuals were stabbed during the attack.
“The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics,” New South Wales Police officials told Sky News.
Following the stabbing incident, a large crowd of protesters gathered outside the church while the suspect remained inside the church building for multiple hours, according to Sky News. In a video shared by media personality Aussie Cossack, the protesters can be heard chanting, “Bring him out.” Sky News reported that Riot Squad officers were dispatched in an effort to disperse the protesters.
In response to the major riot outside the church, Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone issued a statement calling for the community to “be calm.”
“I do call for calm. Police will do their job and please let’s not make the police’s job any harder,” Carbone said in a statement obtained by Sky News. “We live in difficult times right now… so I can understand frustration and the anger from the communities but I ask them as the mayor just to please be calm.”
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An update posted Monday on social media by the New South Wales Police Force explained that the male suspect had been arrested and was “in police custody.” According to Sky News, police officials also confirmed that the suspect was “assisting police with inquiries.”
In a post on Facebook, Christ The Good Shepherd Church shared that both the bishop and a senior priest who was injured in the stabbing incident were in stable condition. “We ask for your prayers at this time,” the church wrote. “It is the bishop’s and father’s wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator. We also kindly ask anyone at the church premises to leave in peace.”
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