Teenage boy in custody after stabbing at Sydney church
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after he stormed a church service in Western Sydney and stabbed a bishop and a priest.
The Orthodox Christian church service was being live-streamed from the suburb of Wakeley on Monday night and captured the moment Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel's sermon was interrupted by the teen, who allegedly stabbed him several times.
Father Isaac Royel was also stabbed, with two parishioners also sustaining injuries as they subdued the teenager until police arrived.
The bishop and priest were both taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the churchgoers did a "fantastic job" trying to calm the scene, but outside the church, an emotional crowd quickly built.
NSW Premier Chris Minns chaired an urgent crisis control meeting with leaders from multiple faiths, all agreeing to a call for calm.
When police arrived on the scene, the riot officers attempted to forcibly move the crowd away from the church, which led to violence against the officers.
Police cars were smashed and two officers were taken to hospital after being injured by members of the crowd who broke into “a number of houses to gain weapons to throw at the police”.
The 15-year-old, who was known to police, was arrested once officers gained access to the church and was taken to an undisclosed location for his own safety.
Premier Minns later confirmed that the attack is being treated as a terror event, saying Police Commissioner Karen Webb had designated the stabbing a "terror incident" just prior to 2am.
Chris Minns urged the community to keep calm and not perpetuate further violence, saying he and religious leaders “endorsed and supported a unanimous condemnation of violence in any form, called for the community to follow first responder and police instructions and called for calm in the community”.
“We’re calling on everyone to act with kindness and respect for each other,” he said.
The church said Bishop Emmanuel and a senior priest were in a stable condition and also appealed for calm.
“We ask for your prayers at this time,” the church said in a statement posted on social media.
Image credits: Facebook / Nine News