Police declare Sydney church stabbing a terror attack 'motivated by religious extremism'

Police in Australia have declared that they are treating a knife attack at a church in Sydney as a terrorist act motivated by suspected religious extremism.

New South Wales police officers have detained a 15-year-old boy who is accused of stabbing a bishop and injuring three others during a sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney's Wakeley district on Monday.

It was the second knife assault to rock Sydney in three days and has sparked riots and unrest in Australia's largest city.

The shocking attack, which was being live-streamed on YouTube by church cameras, came while Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching on Monday afternoon.

The bishop was speaking from the altar when a male dressed in a dark hoodie sauntered up and suddenly lunged at him, furiously swinging at the elderly clergyman's head and neck.

The alleged attacker - who was known to police - was seen smirking at horrified onlookers as he was pinned down after wounding Bishop Emmanuel, Father Isaac Royel and two others.

Police arrested the attacker at the scene and were forced to hold him at the church for his own safety after a crowd gathered outside and demanded the attacker be brought out. 

At a press conference early on Tuesday morning in Sydney, NSW Commissioner Karen Webb said: 'I declared that it was a terrorist incident... We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism.'

The shocking attack, streamed live on YouTube by church cameras, came while Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel (pictured) was preaching on Monday afternoon

The moment worshippers pinned down the man accused of stabbing a bishop in the middle of a sermon has been captured on video

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in west Sydney on Monday evening when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him multiple times 

A man stabs Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a church service at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley

She added: 'Strike Force Petrina has been established to investigate that side of the events last night and a referral has been made and agreed to by the joint counterterrorism investigation team that we will work jointly with NSW police lead, with AFP and other Commonwealth agencies in this investigation.' 

Christ The Good Shepherd Church revealed both Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac were in a 'stable condition'. The suspect is also being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

LIVELIVE: Police declare Sydney church sermon stabbing a TERROR attack as the chilling words alleged 16-year-old attacker said are revealed and furious cops slam rioting mob: Teen's finger 'cut off'  

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Premier Chris Minns also warned vigilantes after violent riots were sparked by the stabbing which resulted in 30 people treated by paramedics.

'There is no such thing in Australia in taking the law into your own hands. You will be met by the full force of the law if there is any tit for tat violence in Sydney over the coming days.'

Commissioner Webb said 20 police cars were damaged in the riots.

'The police officers, of which there were many, acted courageously to protect that community, witnesses, victims and the ambulance officers,' she said.

'They went there to do their job last night and they were turned on.''

NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dom Morgan slammed rioters who forced ambulance officers to fear for their safety.

'Paramedics became under threat and ... had to retreat into the church.

'The officers that serve this community and police every single day were holed up in that church for three-and-a-half hours.

'Six of our paramedics could not leave that facility for fear of their own safety.'

Bishop Emmanuel (pictured) gained notoriety during the pandemic when he slammed Sydney's Covid lockdown as 'mass slavery' and claimed vaccines are futile because living 'normally' will boost immunity

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel with Father Isaac Royel who was also among those injured

New South Wales police guard the perimeter of the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney's western suburb of Wakeley on April 15, 2024

New South Wales police gather outside the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney's western suburb of Wakeley on April 15, 2024, after several people were stabbed in the church premises

Commissioner Webb said 20 police cars were damaged in the riots

NSW acting assistant commissioner Andrew Holland had earlier revealed that the suspect was being treated for wounds to his hand. He has been taken to a secure location.

After the shocking attack, churchgoers sprang into action, running up to the altar and piling on top of the alleged attacker as others placed urgent calls to emergency services.

Footage shared on social media minutes after the stabbing showed the alleged attacker being pinned down on his front by at least three people, including a police officer.

He can be seen grinning at the camera as one of his captors sits beside him in bloodstained jeans. Meanwhile outside the church, dozens of angry Sydneysiders gathered singing chants of 'an eye for an eye' and 'bring him out' as riot police descended on the scene.

Nobody was killed in the attack, though a clip shared to social media showed the stricken bishop being rushed out of the church on a stretcher and bundled into the back of an ambulance. 

AC Holland said at a press briefing today that the 15-year-old suspect is 'known to police' and that investigators have spoken to him.

'Police have initially spoken to the young person again, his injuries are quite severe in his hand,' he said, adding: 'He's fairly upset and very distraught.

'He's asked to speak to his parents at this stage and we're making arrangements with his parents to make contact with him.'

AC Holland added: 'Police are obviously making sure that that young person is safe and, and obviously with the action of the parishioners and obviously the local community, there was concerns for his safety.

'Hence, the decision was made to detain him in the in the church until later in the night.'

The senior cop was also asked about rumours that the alleged assailant's fingers had been chopped off in revenge.

'Reports are that he has injuries to his hands - I don't know the extent of those injuries at this point,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Holland said.

He added: 'His injuries are quite severe in his hand, he's fairly upset and fairly distraught.'

He also praised the churchgoers who jumped into action amid the horrifying attack. 

'The parishioners did a fantastic job subduing him after he stabbed the two clergy members,' he said.

The deplorable attack comes just two days after a knifeman cut down six people in ruthless killing spree just 20 miles away in an eastern Sydney suburb.  

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and one man to death and injured 12 others with a 30cm hunting knife in Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon, before being shot dead by New South Wales Police Inspector Amy Scott. 

His distraught parents said their son struggled with schizophrenia and severe mental health issues, with police probing the possibility his attack targeted women. 

Mass killings are rare in the country of about 27 million people, which has some of the world's toughest gun and knife laws.

The stabbing of Bishop Emmanuel caused a riot outside the Good Shepherd Church, with a crowd of onlookers baying for the attacker's blood. 

The New South Wales Public Order riot squad was deployed to the scene to contain the chaos after protesters smashed church windows and launched bottles and bricks at the officers detaining the suspect. 

Riot officers were forced to deploy tear gas to repel the protesters as they shuttled the bishop and other injured churchgoers to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.  

NSW Ambulance said that four people were injured in the incident and had been taken to hospital, while a spokesperson for NSW Police said Bishop Emmanuel suffered 'non-life threatening injuries'. 

'Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries,' the spokesperson added.   

'A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area.'

Bishop Emmanuel has a large flock on social media, with over 17,000 followers on Facebook.

He gained notoriety during the pandemic when he slammed Sydney's Covid lockdown as 'mass slavery' and claimed vaccines are futile because living 'normally' will boost immunity.

Then last year the bishop appeared on national television when a clip from a sermon surfaced in which he said trans people were 'not human'.

'When a man calls himself a woman, he is neither a man nor a woman, you are not a human, then you are an it. Now, since you are an it, I will not address you as a human anymore because it is not my choosing, it your choosing,' he said. 

Christ The Good Shepherd Church has almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, thousands of whom had tuned into watch his sermon and saw firsthand how he was set upon by the violent knifeman. 

Meanwhile, the father of the attacker who killed six people and injured a dozen more in Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday said his son struggled with extensive mental health issues and harboured frustrations with women, leading police to question whether he targeted female victims. 

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and a male security guard to death and injured several others before he was gunned down by a police officer. 

Clad in shorts and an Australian national rugby league jersey, Cauchi was seen on security cameras roaming through the busy shopping mall carrying a large blade.

He was shot to death by Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone on the fifth floor after a pursuit through the mall.

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and a male security guard to death and injured several others before he was gunned down by a police officer 

Inspector Amy Scott shot Cauchi dead after he lunged at her with a knife. He died at the scene

Mr Cooke then said it was clear that Cauchi (pictured) meant to hurt as many people as possible

Terrifying details have emerged about the day Joel Cauchi killed six people in a murderous stabbing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping Centre

The attacker's father, Andrew Cauchi, told reporters on Monday he was devastated by the news and said his son had a long history of mental illness and frustrations with women.

'He wanted a girlfriend and he's got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain,' the visibly distraught 76-year-old told reporters outside his home in Toowoomba in Queensland state, a 540-mile-drive across the New South Wales border from Sydney.

'He's my son, and I'm loving a monster. To you, he's a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy. Believe me, he was a very sick boy,' the father added.

How the Westfield Bondi Junction attack unfolded: Terrifying timeline of Joel Cauchi's sickening attack that left six innocent shoppers dead 

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Andrew said he had taken five U.S. army knives from Joel when Joel visited him last year as he feared he could get stabbed.

The father said his son had become angry and called police, accusing the father of theft. The knives were given to a friend for safekeeping.

'I told the police my son had schizophrenia and I'm worried for myself,' Andrew said.

'I said to my mate, ''Why do I feel I'm going to be killed in my own house by my own son with a U.S. combat knife?'' he added.

The killer's mother, Michele Cauchi, said his rampage was the 'absolute worst nightmare' of any parent of a mentally ill child.

Their comments came hours after senior police officers said they were investigating the possibility the attacker had focused on women.

'It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives that seems to be an area of interest that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men,' New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

'The videos speak for themselves, don't they? That's certainly a line for inquiry for us.'

Police have said there was no indication ideology was a motive.

The six people killed by Cauchi were named today as Jade Young, 47; Dawn Singleton, 25; Pikria Darchia, 55; Ashlee Good, 38; Faraz Tahir, 30, from Pakistan, and Yixuan Cheng, 27, from China. 

The only man killed during the attack was security guard, Faraz Tahir, who had arrived in Australia last year as a refugee from Pakistan, according to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia, to which he belonged.

Authorities on Monday identified the sixth victim as Chinese national Cheng who was studying in the country.

Anthony Albanese (pictured laying flowers at the shopping centre) announced all government building would lower their flags to half mask as a mark of 'mourning and respect' following Syndey stabbing

Victims of Cauchi's knife attack: (Top L - bottom R) Yixuan Cheng, Ashlee Good, Pikria Darchia, Jade Young, Dawn Singleton and Faraz Tahir

A black ribbon was projected onto the Sydney Opera House on Monday night, two days after six people were killed during the deadly Bondi Junction massacre (pictured)

The black ribbon is a symbol of remembrance or mourning and is displayed as a public symbol of consolation

Eight victims who survived their injuries remained in hospitals on Monday, including Good's 9-month-old daughter. The baby's condition improved overnight Sunday from critical to serious, health authorities said.

The conditions of the other seven ranged from critical to stable.

The New South Wales government announced on Monday a A$18 million independent coronial inquest into the attack but Premier Chris Minns ruled out new rules that would allow private security guards to carry firearms.

Thousands of flowers and wreaths lay in a makeshift memorial outside the mall on Monday as hundreds came from across the city to honour those killed.

'It's shocking something like this could happen so close to home,' said Wren Wyatt, who paid respects at the memorial.

'I'm still trying to get back to everyday life. I've taken today off to try and get my head better,' she added.

Wyatt said she was walking past the mall on Saturday when a crowd rushed past her screaming and security told her to flee.

David Spencer travelled more than 30 miles from the city's west with his two young sons to lay a wreath as a family after watching his eldest react with terror to the news.

The Australian national flag is flying at half-mast across the country, including at the Parliament House and Sydney's Harbour Bridge, in honour of the victims.

How the Bondi attack unfolded  

10am - Joel Cauchi was seen at Saigon Noodle in Oxford Street

He opened his wallet but didn't pay and then told the worker serving him that he would return before leaving the restaurant. 

12.21pm - He returned to the restaurant and ordered a red chicken curry 

Cauchi came back to the restaurant and spent 15 minutes eating his final meal before visiting a small storage unit he had been renting

3.10pm - Cauchi walked into Westfield Bondi Junction but then left 

He walked into the shopping centre wearing a Kangaroos jersey, shorts and sneakers and carrying a backpack.

3.20pm - He walked back in and began stabbing shoppers

Cauchi pulled a bong bladed knife out of his bag and stabbed his first victims outside the Sourdough Bakery. 

3.30pm - Retail staff hide shoppers in their stores and centre locks down

Hundreds of shoppers rushed inside stores which pulled their shutters down to provide some safety while others fled the centre.

4pm - Lone Inspector Amy Scott shoots Cauchi dead

Inspector Amy Scott shot Cauchi after he lunged at her with a knife and she was unable to revive him. 

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