The investigation is progressing in the suburbs of Sydney. Australian police on Tuesday described a stabbing attack committed the day before by a teenager in an Assyrian church as a “terrorist act”, which sparked fury among worshipers and clashes in the street.
A bishop and the 16-year-old suspect, who was arrested, are among those treated for “injuries which are not life-threatening” after this attack which occurred Monday evening.
An act of religious “extremism”
The young man dressed in black approached the altar, raised his right arm and struck the bishop of the Assyrian community Mar Mari Emmanuel with a knife, causing panic and screams among the faithful, according to the images of the religious service broadcast live.
“Having considered all the elements, I have declared this to be an act of terrorism,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb announced at a press conference. This attack is considered an act of religious “extremism”, she added, specifying that the suspect is “known to the police” but does not appear in any anti-terrorism file.
“At this stage it appears to be an individual act,” said Mike Burgess, head of Australian intelligence services. “There is no indication that anyone else is involved, but the investigation remains open,” he added, saying there was no need to raise the country’s terrorist threat level.
The life of the bishop of the Assyrian community – a branch of Eastern Christians – is not in danger, police said. The suspect was treated for hand injuries and was taken to a safe place, the attack having provoked fury among the faithful.
A riot outside the church
Three other people suffered minor injuries in the attack and around 30 others received treatment after a riot that occurred outside the church. For three hours, more than 500 demonstrators clashed with riot police wanting to prevent them from entering the church and lynching the teenager. Twenty police vehicles and some houses were damaged by demonstrators who threw bottles, bricks and other objects. At least two police officers were injured.
Calm finally returned in the evening, but additional police officers were deployed in the area to protect religious buildings. The crowd expressed “an emotional response to what happened in the church” after rumors spread on the Internet, police said, without providing details.
This new attack comes two days after another stabbing in Sydney which left six people dead on Saturday in a shopping center. The terrorist motive was ruled out for this killing committed by a man suffering from mental illness who was shot.