Sydney church stabbing a ‘terrorist’ attack say police as teen suspect detained after public riot - live
The attack on a bishop at a church in Sydney on Monday has been declared an act of terrorism by police, as authorities call for calm in the wake of disturbance following the incident.
At least four people were injured in the attack, including Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, during a service at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley in the west of the city.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested during the event, which triggered a riot outside the church. Two officers were injured with one suffering a broken jaw after he was hit with a brick and fence palings. Ten police cars were destroyed.
On Tuesday, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb declared the church attack a terrorist incident.
And Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged the public not to take the law into their own hands. “It is not acceptable to impede police and injure police doing their duty or to damage police vehicles in a way that we saw last night,” he added.
The attack came days after six people were killed in a stabbing rampage by Joel Cauchi at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday. The 40-year-old, who was shot dead, also injured 12 others, including a including a nine-month old baby.
Key Points
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Parents of killer Joel Cauchi ‘extremely sorry’
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as bishop and worshippers targeted at church
Sydney church knife attack against bishop and priest are acts of terrorism, police say
No further threat to community, says Australia spy chief
Parents of ‘monster’ Sydney knife attacker say son was angry he ‘couldn’t get a girlfriend’
14:51 , Alexander Butler
Parents of Sydney knife attacker ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six
What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
14:30 , Alexander Butler
Sydney stabbings: What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort as police probe if he targeted women
14:00 , Alexander Butler
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort
Police on guard outside mosques in Sydney
13:24 , Alex Ross
Police are standing guard around mosques in parts of Sydney after reports that text messages were circulating urging the Assyrian Christian community to retaliate against Muslims.
It follows the attack on Christian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel while giving a sermon at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in west Sydney.
Video of the incident spread quickly on social media and an angry mob converged on the church demanding vengeance.
The church said in a statement on Tuesday it “denounced retaliation of any kind”.
Bishop Emmanuel has a strong social media following and has spoken out on a range of issues, including the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
Community leaders call for calm
12:20 , Alex Ross
Community leaders are calling for calm after a teenager was accused of wounding a Christian bishop and priest during a church service in a second high-profile knife attack to rock Sydney in recent days.
The 16-year-old was overpowered by the shocked congregation at Christ the Good Shepherd Church after he allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Fr Isaac Royel during a service on Monday that was being streamed online.
Video of the attack spread quickly on social media and an angrycrowd clased with police outside the church.
They hurled bricks, bottles and fence boards at police, who temporarily barricaded the boy inside the church for his own safety. Several people including police officers required hospital treatment following the hours-long riot.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
“We understand the distress and concerns that are there in the community, particularly after the tragic event at Bondi Junction on Saturday,” Mr Albanese told reporters, referring to the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall.
“But it is not acceptable to impede police and injure police doing their duty or to damage police vehicles in a way that we saw last night,” he added.
‘It does appear to be religiously motivated'
11:30 , Alex Ross
Following Monday’s attack on a Bishop Mar Mari Emmanue at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency, and Australian Federal Police have joined state police in a counter-terrorism task force to investgate who else could be involved.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said the investigation had yet to uncover any associated threats.
“It does appear to be religiously motivated, but we continue our lines of investigation,” Burgess said.
“Our job is to look at individuals connected with the attacker to assure ourselves that there is no-one else in the community with similar intent. At this stage, we have no indications of that,” Burgess added.
On ASIO’s advice, the risk of a terrorist attack in Australia is rated at “possible.” That is the second lowest level after “not expected” on the five-tier National Terrorism Threat Advisory System.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel ‘a TikTok star'
11:07 , Alex Ross
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel who was stabbed during a church service live streamed from Sydney on Monday is a social media star with followers around the world, but the bearded clergyman is also a divisive preacher.
Dressed in dark robes, clutching a large cross and sporting a bushy grey beard under a black cowl, Emmanuel’s sermons from the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church range from homilies on the Bible to fiery criticisms of homosexuality, vaccinations, Islam and US President Joe Biden’s election.
The 53-year-old bishop, who has a popular youth following on TikTok and was awarded by YouTube in 2023 for hitting 100,000 subscribers, has however been a target for criticism, hate and online trolling.
Emmanuel’s popularity peaked during the COVID pandemic because his sermons were online, according to Mary Anoya, 17, whose family attends his church. She, like the other students at her high school, prefer to watch his sermons on TikTok.
“I think everyone follows him on TikTok,” said the teenager on Tuesday outside the church.
“Ever since he started to become famous his words just got twisted. I grew up knowing who he was, I know what type of person he is and it’s all just taken out of context.”
Facebook and X given 24 hours to remove footage of church stabbing
10:17 , Alex Ross
Footage of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney shocked the world as it was broadcast live by the church’s YouTube channel.
Clips have since been shared across social media platforms X and Facebook, which has led to Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, issuing a 24-hour notice for the companies in charge to remove them.
She said that the footage had been deemed to be “material depicting gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail”.
If Meta, which controls Facebook, and X don’t comply, the companies could face fines, Ms Inman Grant warned.
She said: “While the majority of mainstream social media platforms have engaged with us, I am not satisfied enough is being done to protect Australians from this most extreme and gratuitous violent material circulating online.
“That is why I am exercising my powers under the Online Safety Act to formally compel them to remove it. I have issued a notice to X requiring them to remove this content. A legal notice will also be sent to Meta this afternoon, and further notices are likely to follow. I will not hesitate to use further graduated powers at my disposal if there is noncompliance.”
‘You are welcome here, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like'
09:40 , Alex Ross
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has praised the Frenchman who confronted Bondi Junction attacker Joel Cauchi for his “extraordinary bravery” and said he could stay in the country for as long as he wanted.
Damien Guerot, a French construction worker, has been dubbed by some as the “Bollard Man” after CCTV footage showed him confronting Cauchi with a bollard on an escalator during the deadly stabbing attack in Westfield Bondi Junction.
Six people were killed in the attack and 12 injured before Cauchi was shot dead by a police officer.
Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra: “I say this to Damien Guerot – who is dealing with his visa applications – that you are welcome here, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like.
Read more here:
Frenchman who took on Sydney mall attacker offered permanent Australian residency
Arrested teenager’s hand injuries ‘severe'
09:21 , Alex Ross
A 15-year-old boy arrested following the stabbing of a bishop at a church service in Sydney on Monday has suffered “severe” hand injuries, police have confirmed.
Footage streamed online of the service at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley showed a person walking up to the altar before appearing to attack Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
They were then overpowered by worshippers who rushed to the bishop’s aid.
It has since emerged that the teen suspect in the attack was taken to hospital.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland commended the congregation for stepping in during the incident before calling police. When asked if the accused teen’s fingers had been severed, he said the hand injuries were “severe”.
A city in pain following two stabbing attacks - in pictures
09:05 , Alex Ross
What are law enforcement powers when investigating terrorism
08:12 , Namita Singh
The terrorism categorisation allows more law enforcement resources to be focused on the crime. The declaration also gives police expanded powers to stop and search people, premises and vehicles without a warrant.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the teen’s comments and actions pointed to a religious motive for the attack. She didn’t detail the wording of the comments that led her to believe he had been religiously motivated.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious-motivated extremism and of course the intimidation of the public through that person’s acts, by attending that church, whilst it was being live-streamed, intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance but those parishioners who were watching online and subsequently, those people that turned up to the church on the outside and the subsequent riot that happened,” Ms Webb said.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency, and Australian Federal Police have joined state police in a counterterrorism task force to investigate who else was potentially involved.
Bishop’s health condition ‘improving’
07:30 , Namita Singh
The church said in a statement today the 53-year-old Iraq-born bishop’s condition was “improving”.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has a strong social media following and is outspoken on a range of issues. He proselytises to both Jews and Muslims and is critical of liberal Christian denominations.
He also speaks out on global political issues and laments the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
The bishop, described in local media as a figure sometimes seen as divisive on issues such as Covid-19 restrictions, was in national news last year with comments about gender.
Sydney church knife attack against bishop and priest are acts of terrorism, police say
07:05 , Namita Singh
Stabbings in Sydney that wounded a bishop and a priest during a church service was a terrorist attack motivated by suspected religious extremism, police in Australia said.
At least two task forces have been established to look into the incident after a 16-year-old male attacker lunged at Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Christ Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley. Three others, including a priest, were wounded during the service as horrified worshippers watched online and in person.
While one task force will look into the background of the attacker, the other will work to identify those in the rioting mob that attacked a number of police officers and paramedics responding to the scene, reported News.com.au.
More here:
Australian police declare Sydney church knife attack against clerics as terrorism
Letters: Better mental health support could help avoid tragedies like Sydney
07:00 , Holly Evans
Letters: Better mental health support could help avoid tragedies like Sydney
New South Wales premier urges community to ‘stick together’
06:59 , Namita Singh
The premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns urged the community to remain calm and “stick together.” Religious leaders expressed shock and condolences.
Australians were still in shock after a lone assailant stabbed six people to death in a Sydney shopping mall on Saturday and injured more than a dozen others.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland suggested the weekend attack heightened the community’s response to the church stabbing.“
Given that there has been incidents in Sydney the last few days with knives involved, obviously there’s concerns,” he said. “We’ve asked for everyone to think rationally at this stage. We spoke to community leaders and members of the community to speak to their local people, to try and keep people calm.”
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort as police probe if he targeted women
06:00 , Holly Evans
The knifeman behind the Sydney shopping centre massacre led a secret life as a male escort, it has been revealed, as police probe whether he intentionally targeted women.
Five women and one man were killed when Joel Cauchi launched his horrifying attack in the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction on Saturday.
A nine-month-old baby girl was left fighting for her life after her mother was killed in the rampage, which ended when Cauchi was gunned down by a hero police officer.
Read the full article here:
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort
No further threat to community, says Australia spy chief
05:30 , Namita Singh
Australia’s spy chief said he would check people close to the attacker to rule out any further threats to the community.
“It is prudent that we do this to determine there’s no threats or immediate threats to security. At this time, we’re not seeing that,” said Mike Burgess, director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Asked by a reporter about a video circulating of the alleged attacker pinned to the ground, his face obscured, with a voice speaking in Arabic “if they didn’t insult my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here”, Mr Burgess said: “We’re aware of those comments ... everything else is open lines of inquiry to understand why that individual got to where they did.”
Parents of Joel Cauchi 'extremely sorry' after son kills six people on stabbing rampage
05:00 , Holly Evans
Authorities urge residents to not take law into hand
04:36 , Namita Singh
Authorities urged people not to take the law into their hands.
“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,” New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns told reporters.
Emergency crews said they attended to around 30 people after the clash outside the church, and seven were taken to hospitals with injuries. Several police were also hospitalised with injuries and 20 police vehicles were damaged, New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.
It was the second major stabbing attack in just three days in Australia’s most populous city after six people were killed and 12 injured in a knife attack at a beachside mall in the Bondi area on Saturday.
Time to unite, says Albanese as he condemns violent extremism
04:33 , Namita Singh
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said there was no place in Australia for violent extremism.
“We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country,” he said during a media conference.
It comes as four people including Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church were injured in a knife attack on Monday.
Australia says Assyrian church stabbing was terrorist act
04:11 , Namita Singh
Australian police said today a knife attack on an Assyrian church bishop and some followers in Sydney was a terrorist act motivated by suspected religious extremism, as the country reeled from a second stabbing incident in three days.
At least four people were wounded in the attack, including bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church, when a man lunged at him with a knife during a service live-streamed yesterday.
The incident at the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley triggered clashes outside the church between police and an angry crowd of the bishop’s followers who demanded the attacker be handed over to them.
Police arrested a male teenager at the scene on Monday and were forced to hold him at the church for his own safety as the crowd of worshippers gathered outside.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism,” New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said during a press conference.
“After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.”
Sydney Opera House illuminated with black ribbon for mall stabbing victims
02:00 , Holly Evans
Family say woman killed protecting baby in Sydney attack was a ‘beautiful human’
01:00 , Holly Evans
The family of a woman who died while attempting to save her baby during the Sydney stabbing attack have said she was a “beautiful human” and said the baby is “doing well”.
The attacker, who killed six people in the attack at Bondi Junction before being shot dead, was identified by police as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Queensland.
New South Wales Police do not think he was motivated by terrorism.
Read the full article here:
Family say woman killed protecting baby in Sydney attack was a ‘beautiful human’
Man who filmed Sydney shopping centre knifeman speaks of ‘disbelief’
01:00 , Holly Evans
What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
Tuesday 16 April 2024 00:00 , Holly Evans
Tributes are flooding in for the six people killed in the stabbing rampage at a shopping mall in Sydney, including for a mother who died trying to save her nine-month-old baby.
Five women and one man were killed by knife attacker Joel Cauchi in the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction on Saturday.
The victims have been named as Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, who worked as an architect in Sydney, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia, security guard Faraz Tahir and Chinese student Yixuan Cheng. Ashlee Good, 38, died in hospital from her wounds and her nine-month-old daughter Harriet has undergone surgery.
Read the full article here
Sydney stabbings: What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
Parents of ‘monster’ Sydney knife attacker say son was angry he ‘couldn’t get a girlfriend’
Monday 15 April 2024 23:00 , Holly Evans
The parents of the Sydney stabbings attacker have said they are “extremely sorry” and that their son was frustrated that he could not get a girlfriend.
Joel Cauchi, 40, roamed through the busy Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday with a large knife, killing six people and injuring 12 others, including a nine-month-old baby.
Speaking on Monday outside their home, Andrew Cauchi said he was “extremely sorry” to the victims of his son’s attack and that he was “heartbroken” for their loss.
Read the full article here:
Parents of Sydney knife attacker ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six
‘Hero’ police officer who saved countless lives in Sydney mall attack named and pictured
Monday 15 April 2024 22:00 , Holly Evans
An Australian police officer has been hailed as a “hero” after she single-handedly tracked down a knifeman and shot him dead to save lives.
Inspector Amy Scott had been carrying out routine duties near Westfield Bondi Junction and was the first on the scene after reports emerged that a number of people had been stabbed at the Sydney shopping mall.
After being guided by distraught members of the public, she confronted the lone knifeman, who has since been identified as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, before firing her gun.
Read the full article here:
‘Hero’ police officer who saved countless lives in Sydney mall attack pictured
Australian police probe why man who stabbed 6 people to death in a Sydney mall targeted women
Monday 15 April 2024 21:11 , Holly Evans
Australian police are examining why a lone assailant who stabbed six people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall and injured more than a dozen others targeted women while avoiding men, a police commissioner said on Monday.
Police shot and killed the homeless assailant, Joel Cauchi, during his knife attack in the Westfield Bondi Junction mall on Saturday near world-famous Bondi Beach.
Police have ruled out terrorism and said the 40-year-old had a history of mental illness.
Read the full article here:
Australian police probe why man who stabbed 6 people to death in a Sydney mall targeted women
What’s really to blame for the Sydney stabbings
Monday 15 April 2024 20:25 , Holly Evans
Devastating events unfolded this weekend as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi raged through Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney on a Saturday afternoon, stabbing 18 people. So far, the majority of victims, both dead and in critical conditions in hospital, have been women and girls.
I watched the footage in disbelief, the background horribly familiar. I was in Bondi Junction myself, a few months back, while on a book tour with my wife.
But what came next was also uncomfortably familiar: police saying it was “obvious” Cauchi was targeting and attacking women.
Read the full article here:
What’s really to blame for the Sydney stabbings
Police chief says they are ‘profiling’ the Cauchi
Monday 15 April 2024 19:00 , Holly Evans
New South Wales assistant police commissioner Anthony Cooke told reporters at a press conference: “We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved.
“There is still, to this point... no information we have received, no evidence we have recovered, no intelligence that we have gathered that would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation - ideology or otherwise.”
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as bishop and worshippers targeted at church
Monday 15 April 2024 18:14 , Holly Evans
Four people, including a bishop, have been stabbed during a church service in Sydney – the second major knife incident to hit the Australian city in a matter of days.
Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy and more than 100 officers were brought in to deal with the unrest after a large crowd gathered outside and demanded the suspected attacker be brought outside.
The incident happened at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley at around 7.15pm local time (9.15am GMT), and triggered clashes with angry residents, with rocks thrown towards officers.
Read the full article here:
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as bishop and worshippers targeted at church
Hero who tried to stop killer on escalator says: ‘His eyes were empty eyes’
Monday 15 April 2024 17:37 , Holly Evans
A French man, Damien Guerot, has been identified as the viral “Bollard Man” hero who tried to stop killer Joel Cauchi during his rampage on Saturday in a Sydney shopping mall.
In video footage, Mr Guerot can be seen coming face-to-face with the knifeman on the escalator, wielding a plastic pole to ward him off.
A construction worker who had been at the Westfield Bondi Junction centre with his friend, Mr Guerot said they were alerted to the incident by other terrified shoppers.
“We just saw him coming ... we were thinking, ‘We need to try to stop him’,” Mr Guerot said in an interview with Australian TV network Channel Seven on Sunday.
After confronting him , he said: “His eyes were like empty eyes... he wasn’t there.” The two then pursued Cauchi until he was approached by lone female inspector Amy Scott, who shot him dead when he lunged towards her.
“She was actually the hero, she did the job,” Mr Guerot says. “We just did what we did.”
Letter to The Independent: Better mental health support could help avoid tragedies like Sydney
Monday 15 April 2024 16:20 , Alexander Butler
Letters: Better mental health support could help avoid tragedies like Sydney
Sydney Opera House illuminated with black ribbon for shopping centre stabbing victims
Monday 15 April 2024 16:00 , Alexander Butler
Sydney Opera House illuminated with black ribbon for shopping centre stabbing victims
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort
Monday 15 April 2024 15:40 , Alexander Butler
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort
What’s really to blame for the Sydney stabbings
Monday 15 April 2024 15:25 , Alexander Butler
What’s really to blame for the Sydney stabbings
Pictured: Workers clear up damage after Sydney rocked by second stabbing
Monday 15 April 2024 14:35 , Alexander Butler
Sydney stabbings: What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
Monday 15 April 2024 13:31 , Alexander Butler
Sydney stabbings: What we know about the six victims of the mall attack
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as bishop and worshippers targeted at church
Monday 15 April 2024 13:19 , Alexander Butler
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as bishop and worshippers targeted at church
Watch: Parents of Joel Cauchi ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six people on stabbing rampage
Monday 15 April 2024 12:48 , Joe Middleton
Watch: Parents of Joel Cauchi ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six people on stabbing rampage
Monday 15 April 2024 12:48 , Joe Middleton
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort as police probe if he targeted women
Monday 15 April 2024 12:21 , Alex Ross
The knifeman behind the Sydney shopping centre massacre led a secret life as a male escort, it has been revealed, as police probe whether he intentionally targeted women.
Five women and one man were killed when Joel Cauchi launched his horrifying attack in the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction on Saturday.
A nine-month-old baby girl was left fighting for her life after her mother was killed in the rampage, which ended when Cauchi was gunned down by a hero police officer.
Police have confirmed they are exploring why he “focused on women and avoided the men” during the spree, which also injured 12, as details emerged of his secret life as a sex worker.
Joel Cauchi: The Sydney attacker’s secret life as a male escort
Sydney rocked by second stabbing in days as priest and worshippers targeted at church
Monday 15 April 2024 11:51 , Joe Middleton
Four people, including a priest, have reportedly been attacked inside a church in Sydney in the second stabbing incident to hit the Australian city in a matter of days.
The incident happened at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley at around 7.15pm local time (9.15am GMT).
Footage from the incident, broadcast live on the church’s YouTube page, appeared to show the church leader attacked by a man approaching the altar.
Parents of Sydney knife attacker Joel Cauchi ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six in mall rampage
Monday 15 April 2024 11:21 , Joe Middleton
The parents of the Sydney stabbings attacker have said they are “extremely sorry” after their son killed six people at a mall in Bondi.
Joel Cauchi, 40, roamed through the busy Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday with a large knife, killing six people and injuring 12 others, including a nine-month old baby.
He was shot and killed by Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone on the fifth floor after a pursuit through the mall.
Parents of Sydney knife attacker ‘extremely sorry’ after son kills six
Sydney Opera House illuminated with black ribbon
Monday 15 April 2024 10:48 , Joe Middleton
Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a black ribbon as part of the national day of mourning following the stabbing deaths of several people at a shopping mall in Sydney’s East on 13 April.
Police shot and killed the assailant, Joel Cauchi, during his knife attack in the Westfield Bondi Junction mall on Saturday near world-famous Bondi Beach. He killed six people and injured a baby.
Police have ruled out terrorism and said the 40-year-old had a history of mental illness.
