Australia
Another knife attack in Sydney: several people injured in a church, including a priest
Police have arrested a man accused of stabbing a bishop in a Sydney church
© PAUL BRAVEN / AAP / Imago Images
A few days after a shooting rampage in a shopping center that left six people dead, another act of violence occurred in Sydney. A man stabbed a priest during a church service. According to media reports, the service and the act were broadcast live.
On Monday evening around 8 p.m. (local time) several people were stabbed in the church. According to emergency services, four men were treated for various injuries. All victims had non-life-threatening injuries, New South Wales state police said. The head of the local Assyrian community was among the injured. A man was taken to hospital with stab wounds, the radio station reported ABC.
Police arrest suspected perpetrator
A video of the service circulating online appears to show the priest being attacked during his sermon, the television station reported 7News. The video of the service broadcast live shows a man dressed in black walking towards the bishop and presumably stabbing him multiple times. Screams from parishioners could be heard while several ran towards the bishop. The live broadcast of the trade fair was then interrupted.
Police said officers arrested a male person at the scene. “Further information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Second violent act within a few days in Sydney
Just on Saturday, a mentally ill man carried out a knife attack in the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney’s east. The 40-year-old killed five women and a man. Twelve other people were hospitalized, including a baby. After his half-hour rampage, the attacker was stopped by a policewoman who stood in his way and shot him.
As the police announced on Monday, the knife attacker on Saturday apparently targeted women. The investigators ruled out a terrorist background. The perpetrator’s father told journalists about his son’s possible motive: “He wanted a girlfriend, but he had no social skills and was frustrated.”
Sources: AFP news agency, 7News, 9News, “Sydney Morning Herald”, ABC
Note: It has been clarified that the injured cleric is a priest from the local Assyrian community.