Shocking video footage of a man attacking Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, former member of the Ancient Church of the East and prominent leader of Christ the Good Shepherd Church, went viral on social media on April 15.
The footage was taken from a livestream — now removed — of a Bible study session at the church.
The perpetrator of the stabbing, a 16-year-old male, was subdued by church attendees. Bishop Emmanuel, Father Isaac Royel, and another parishioner sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Paramedics treated the wounded on site before transporting them to Liverpool Hospital.
The aftermath saw tensions rise, resulting in demonstrations around the church precinct. Two police officers were injured, and several police vehicles were damaged, authorities said.
The Australian Catholic weekly reported leaders across Christian denominations and the Muslim community, including Archbishop of the Assyrian Church of the East Zaia Mar Meelis, Chaldean Archbishop Amel Nona, Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, and Melkite Bishop Robert Rabbat, jointly condemned the violence, urging calm.
The Monday attack followed a separate knife rampage in Bondi Junction on Saturday, which resulted in six fatalities. The assailant in that incident, who did not survive, had a mental illness and was not motivated by ideology, police told the Sydney Morning Herald.
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