CITY REELING
Protesters chant ‘bring him out’ at Sydney church where ‘teen’ knifed Bishop in ‘terror attack’ days after mall rampage
The crowds turned on the police with several angry churchgoers destroying police vehicles
PROTESTERS demanded "bring him out" after a teen boy allegedly stabbed a Bishop at a church in Sydney in what police have branded a terror attack.
The swarm of people congregated outside the church could be seen attempting to push past riot police, throwing projectiles, and chanting "cut off his fingers".
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Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was attacked while delivering a sermon at a church in Wakeley on Monday - just days after six were stabbed to death at a mall in Sydney.
NWS Police Commissioner Karen Webb said: "At 1.35am this morning, after consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident."
As police desperately tried to calm the angry mob on Monday night, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns added that the incident was a "major and serious criminal investigation".
Police officers battled to push back the crowds with their riot shields late into the night, with further footage appearing to show bricks and bottles being hurled at the cops.
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It has been reported that several police vehicles had their windows smashed.
A police officer told local media: “The crowd was attacking us, throwing things and being aggressive as we tried to help their bishop. I said to them ‘we are not your enemy’.”
It comes after a teenager dressed in black attacked Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked during a Mass at a church in Wakeley.
YouTube livestream footage showed Bishop Emmanuel speaking at an altar when a teen dressed in a dark hoodie approached him.
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The teen calmly walked up to the elderly church leader before suddenly lunging at him, raising a hand which appeared to hold a knife and stabbing furiously at the bishop.
The church leader fell to the ground and screams could be heard from the congregation as several churchgoers rushed forward to help.
At least three other people were stabbed just after 7pm on Monday at Wakeley's Christ The Good Shepherd Church.
Bishop Emmanuel - who has a huge following on social media - was reportedly stabbed multiple times and rushed to hospital.
Watch moment brave Sydney churchgoers hold down smirking stabber who attacked Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel
Footage showed him being dashed to an ambulance on a stretcher in front of a growing crowd outside.
The attacker was detained by parishioners on the floor before cops swooped in and arrested him.
New South Wales Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said: "Those violent pictures are probably what caused the uproar in the community - people saw that, responded and unfortunately we ended up with a public order incident."
Holland added that the fifteen-year-old suspect was "known to police" and was not a regular attendee at the church.
Further footage showed the teen smiling at a camera as he lay facedown under the weight of churchgoers - beside a man whose jeans were stained with blood.
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Two police officers were reportedly injured in the swarm of over 5,000 people outside of the church.
One report said angry bystanders were shouting for the suspect's surrender after he was locked inside the building for his safety.
New South Wales cops have since confirmed he was "removed from the church and taken to an undisclosed location".
They said "police continue to work on restoring order" in Wakeley following reports that "a number of people were stabbed" at the church.
Paramedics confirmed a man in his 50s was taken to hospital with stab wounds following the attack.
Three others were treated at the scene - including a man in his 30s and two others with lacerations to the arm and hand.
Sydney's Liverpool Hospital - where Bishop Emmanuel is reportedly in a stable condition - is said to be in lockdown.
Just weeks before the stabbing, the Bishop revealed that he had received many threats on his life over social media.
In one sermon, he said: "There's been a video circulating on TikTok and I don't know where else, saying that the bishop has two weeks to live."
The brave Bishop claimed that the threats had not affected him as death could only bring him closer to the Lord.
He said: "Whether I stay or not, that doesn't matter, really. I've had my share of this world. And I pray that the Lord takes me today before tomorrow, I want to be with him.
"I'm saying it with confidence in the Lord Jesus, I love you, Lord, and I choose you.
"Any time of the day, all day long, to be with you. I don't care about the world and whatever the world gives.
"Thank the person who did this video. Thank you so much. I didn't know that I was dying in two weeks.
"I'm not sure if I will go in two weeks' time; maybe I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think I am sick, and I'm dying."
The chilling sermon ended with the Bishop laughing about the threats, adding: "Sorry guys, I'm still sitting on your heart."
Sydney mall rampage
It comes after rampaging knifeman Joel Cauchi murdered six people at a mall in Bondi on Saturday.
Hero cop Inspector Amy Scott single-handedly confronted Cauchi, 40, as he stalked victims at Westfield Bondi Junction and shot him dead.
The inspector, who happened to be nearby at the time of the attack, fired at the assailant after he turned on her and raised a knife.
Cauchi attacked 17 people - three men and 14 women - during his horror rampage.
Among the wounded were a nine-month-old baby girl and her mum Dr Ashlee Good, 38, who died from her injuries in hospital.
Before Dr Good tragically died in hospital, four others were declared dead in the shopping centre - Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Cheng Yixuan, 27.
Security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, was the only man killed in the horrific onslaught.
After hours of emergency surgery, Dr Good's family reported the baby girl is now "doing well".
Police said it was "obvious" the killer focused on women.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that "the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning".
Witnesses told how they heard screaming before seeing the attacker "indiscriminately swiping" at people as he calmly walked along the corridors.
The killer's dad, Andrew, told reporters that his son, who battled with mental illness, had come off anti-psychotic medication shortly before unleashing terror on his victims.
He said: "To you he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy."
On Sunday, Andrew and Cauchi's mum Michele described their son's actions as "truly horrific".
Four people who were injured during the violent rampage have been discharged from hospital, as another eight continue to receive care - some in serious conditions.
Cauchi was known to police before the attack for mental health-related matters.
He is said to have lived with schizophrenia and used drugs including methamphetamine and psychedelics.
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He posted an advertisement online mid-last year offering his services as a male escort in which he presented himself as an "athletic good looking 39-year-old guy".
The surfer, described as "weird" and "strange", is known to have been obsessed with knives - and even once called police to claim "domestic violence" after his parents hid knives from him.
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