A sixth teenager has been charged in connection to a live-streamed stabbing incident involving a Christian bishop in western Sydney last week.
So far, five teenage boys had been arrested, with two aged 14 and 17, and charged with possessing or controlling violent extremist material through a communication service.
The sixth youth is still in custody but is yet to be formally charged, while a seventh teenager was released on Thursday without charge.
On 15 April, bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, another priest Isaac Royel, and a bystander were stabbed by an attacker at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley during a sermon that was being live-streamed.
The video showed a 16-year-old boy clad in black, walk up to the attacker, and striking him repeatedly with a knife (the knife appeared to malfunction).
The boy is alleged to have shouted “Allahu Ahkbar,” followed by (in Arabic), “If he didn’t insult my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here.”
The attacker was eventually subdued by church members, many of whom were drawn from the local Assyrian diaspora. The incident was later declared a terrorist incident by authorities.
Mr. Emmanuel, originally from Iraq, is known for his sermons and his conservative stance on civil rights issues.
His sermons have gained popularity on the social media platform TikTok. A month ago, he reported receiving a threat before the stabbing incident saying, “The Bishop has two weeks to live.”
The attack was the second stabbing in three days in Sydney after a mass-casualty event at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Riot Erupts
Following the stabbing attack, a crowd quickly formed outside the church involving hundreds of individuals, with calls for the boy to be handed over to the crowd.The crowd descended into a riot and soon, clashes erupted between community members and police.
About 26 officers required medical attention with several police vehicles damaged.
Paramedics were trapped inside the church until the late evening.
Police used pepper spray and riot squad reinforcements to quell the uprising which ended around 1 am.
