An Australian bishop was stabbed multiple times while delivering his sermon on Monday night, in an attack that comes just 48 hours after six people were fatally stabbed at a nearby mall. Footage posted online shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel speaking at Wakeley's Christ The Good Shepherd Church when an unidentified man in a black hoodie approaches him.
The event which was being livestreamed on the church's YouTube page on Monday, shows Bishop Emmanuel looking up in shock as the attacker suddenly begins to strike him repeatedly in the face and head. Father Isaac Royel was also among those injured in the commotion and was immediately transported to the hospital.
Terror Inside Church
The man continued to stab and Emmanuel collapsed to the floor as members of the congregation rushed to help him. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, as reported by News.com.au.
The condition of Emmanuel remains unknown.
Three others also sustained injuries and were treated at the scene for lacerations, including a man in his 30s, a man in his 20s, and a man in his 60s, according to News.com.au.
The suspect has been arrested and is cooperating with the investigation, as confirmed by NSW police to the outlet.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear at this time.
The horrifying incident triggered unrest outside the church, with hundreds gathering in protest. They hurled bottles and bricks at a hastily erected police barrier, accompanied by chants of "an eye for an eye" and "bring him out."
Video footage taken immediately after the attack shows the alleged attacker being restrained in his front by at least three people, including a police officer. Despite the situation, he is seen smiling and appearing to mock his captors.
Chaotic Scene
One man, with blood visible on his jeans, sits with his legs positioned over the alleged attacker's head. "People are praying and you come and (allegedly) do this?" the man says as he slaps him on his cheek.
The police officer injects: "Stop, just let go, please. You're going to make it worse."
Then, the man holding the camera intervenes by pulling the other man's leg away, revealing the face of the alleged attacker.
He is seen smiling and seemingly laughing as the man holding the camera admonishes him, saying, "You're a f***ing idiot, you're going to cop it."
The alleged attacker then appears to ask, "You think they'll hurt my brother?" as police officers try to move the people away.
The situation outside the church and in the surrounding streets remains tense, with the New South Wales Public Order Riot squad dispatched to the scene.
Emmanuel has garnered attention online in recent years for his outspoken criticism of Covid restrictions. He has described lockdown measures in one sermon as "mass slavery" and has voiced opposition to vaccine mandates.
"Are we humans? Because we are being treated like animals," the bishop said in one 2021 sermon, according to News.com.au.
"They are encouraging people to go and take a vaccine and stay at home. They have had enough."
The assault on Monday comes only days after a knife-wielding maniac stabbed over a dozen people at a well-known mall in Sydney. It remains unclear if the two attacks are connected.
