A teenager who allegedly stabbed a bishop at a western Sydney church overnight, in what authorities are calling a “premeditated act of terror”, appears to have revealed his alleged motive in a surfaced video taken moments after the brutal attack.
On Monday night, shocking social media footage emerged of religious leader Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel allegedly being stabbed multiple times at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley while delivering his sermon at about 7.10pm.
The service and subsequent attack was streamed live online, sending shockwaves around a country already reeling from the stabbing murders of six people at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday, at the hands of Queensland man Joel Cauchi.
Teen appears to blame bishop for ‘speaking about my prophet’
Chilling footage taken moments after the teenager allegedly stabbed bishop Emmanuel shows the 16-year-old smiling and taunting a group of men attempting to pin him to the ground, while speaking in Arabic. Translated to English, the 16-year-old blamed the bishop for “getting involved in my religion”.
“If he [the Bishop] didn’t get himself involved in my religion, if he hadn’t spoken about my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here,” the teenager said, according to a translation reported by The Guardian.
“If he just spoke about his own religion, I wouldn’t have come.” The teen then turns his face to the camera and flashes what’s being described on social media as an “evil grin,” prompting an enraged response from one of his captors heard in the video.
“You’re a f***ing idiot. Laughing? You’re a f***ing idiot. You’re gonna cop it. You’re gonna get …” the man off camera says.
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Sydney church stabbing attacker shown smirking in chilling footage
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Sydney church stabbing a ‘terror attack’, says Premier Chris Minns
In the past, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who has a huge online presence, has previously criticised Islam and the Prophet Mohammed in public sermons.
‘No place for violent extremism’: PM says
Addressing media on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the teenager was “a recent convert to islam”. Albanese branded the attack a “disturbing incident”, adding “there is no place for violence in our community, there’s no place for violent extremism.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the confronting scenes overnight satisfied the definition of terrorism because it was deemed to be “religious motivated extremism” and included the intimidation of the public. “By attending that church, whilst it was being live-streamed, intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance, but those parishioners watching online,” she said.
Leaders call for calm across ‘city on edge’
After riots and mass unrest swept the area last night, politicians, community and religious leaders have all in unity called for calm among the public as authorities investigate.
“I want to make something very, very clear — there’s no such thing in Australia as taking the law into your own hands,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said.
“Firstly, you will be met by the full force of the law, if there’s any attempt for tit-for-tat violence in Sydney over the coming days,” he said. “Secondly, you are diverting police equipment, investigation power, as well as resources, away from the investigation of this crime.”
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