EXCLUSIVESydney church stabbing: Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel praised as 'wonderful' and 'loved' by Danny Abdallah - father of the Oatlands tragedy victims - in the wake of shocking scenes during church sermon
- Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has been praised
- Danny Abdallah described him as 'wonderful'
- LIVE: Sydney church stabbing updates
Danny Abdallah, the father of the Oatlands crash tragedy victims, has spoken out after a popular bishop who he has known for years was attacked in a stabbing rampage.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west on Monday just after 7pm when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him multiple times.
There are also reports of multiple others taken to hospital as a tense situation unfolds on nearby streets.
Mr Abdallah, who is a devoted Christian, said he cannot comprehend why anyone would want to hurt him.
‘He’s a respected man in the community. He’s loved by all of the Assyrian community especially,’ he said.
Bishop Emmanuel has been described as 'wonderful' and 'loved' by his congregation
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west on Monday evening when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him multiple times (pictured)
Danny Abdallah says he has known the bishop for years and described him as 'respected'
‘He’s a wonderful priest. He lives to serve others and help people.
‘What happened tonight was just devastating.
‘I don't know why anyone would do that. It doesn’t make sense he’s a very peaceful man.’
Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila's children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking on a footpath to buy ice-cream in Oatlands, in Sydney's west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.
The driver, Samuel Davidson, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He is serving a 20-year jail sentence.
Despite the horrific tragedy and the anger he felt, he publicly forgave Davidson and credited his faith for giving him the courage to do so.
Elsewhere, NSW Police have urged members of the public to avoid the area around the church following the attack, while there are also reports that Liverpool Hospital is in lockdown as a result of riots.
Worshippers outside the church in the aftermath of the stabbing as tensions threatened to boil over
The suspect and the injured bishop have been taken to two different hospitals in Sydney's west, both reportedly with non life-threatening injuries.
Footage posted to social media shows angry worshippers outside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church, with some heard shouting 'an eye for an eye' after the attack.
Video then circulated of the alleged attacker being pinned down by churchgoers.
