Warning: this article contains graphic content
CV NEWS FEED // Sydney police have arrested a 15-year-old male suspect after a bishop was stabbed while he was preaching at a local Assyrian Orthodox church.
At about 7 p.m. April 15, Bishop Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney when a suspect approached and attacked him. The church was livestreaming the service when the attack occurred.
“Shocking footage of the alleged attack showed the bishop speaking when a younger person dressed in black calmly walked up to him,” local Sydney news outlet news.com.au reported:
The bishop looked at the alleged attacker, who then made a stabbing motion to the face and neck area.
The bishop then fell to the ground.
Screams were heard from the crowd, as several people rushed forward to try to help.
Cumberland City Councillor Steve Christou said on local TV news show Sunrise, according to the article, that he had heard reports that the Bishop was praying for the boy moments after the attack.
“It just shows the remarkable courage of a man and the forgiveness he has within him to pray for his alleged attacker,” Christou said on the show “Sunrise,” according to the article.
The Bishop and the church’s priest, Fr. Isaac Royel, along with two victims who were not identified in the news article, were injured in the attack. None of the injuries are life-threatening, and the victims are recovering at a hospital, local police confirmed.
Police also confirmed that the suspect injured his hand in the attack. Following the suspect’s detainment, he underwent surgery for his injuries, and “remains under police guard” as he recovers in the hospital, news.com.au reported. The police also noted that the suspect did not regularly attend Christ The Good Shepherd Church.
The evening of April 15, several police officers were injured while trying to contain a riot of 2,000 people that broke out outside of the church. Two police officers were transported to the hospital for their injuries. Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone, who condemned the rioting, said that hundreds of people “rushed towards the church to protect their loved ones.”
Following the attack and the riot, Christ The Good Shepherd Church issued a statement that read: “We ask for your prayers at this time. 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.”
