sydney stab knife church bishop
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)
A bishop and three worshippers have been attacked in another stabbing rampage to rock Sydney, as riot police were called in to quell mounting tensions in the city's west.

Assyrian religious leader 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 a dark hoodie walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times.

Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church's YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker suddenly rains down blows on his face and head.

The alleged attack sparked unrest outside the church as a crowd of up to 2,000 gathered in protest, hurling bottles and bricks at a hastily-erected police barrier as chants of 'an eye for an eye' and 'bring him out' could be heard.



Comment: There are reports that the assailant was caught by the crowd, some of whom allegedly cut off some of his fingers:



Several police officers were injured in the riot and multiple patrol cars were left with smashed windscreens and windows.

The attacker was being held by cops for his own safety inside the building.

In vision of the alleged attack, horrified screams can be heard as other worshippers rushed to the bishop's aid as he fell to the floor.

NSW Ambulance said that four people were injured in the incident and had been taken to hospital. It is understood that Father Isaac Royel was among those injured.

In a statement published shortly before 10.30pm, Christ The Good Shepherd Church revealed that both Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac were in a 'stable condition'.

'We ask for your prayers at this time. It is the Bishop's and Father's wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator,' the statement said.

'We also kindly ask anyone at the Church premises to leave in peace, as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, teaches us.'

Following the alleged stabbing, groups of police officers, completely outnumbered, huddled together as bottles and bricks were hurled at them.

Some in the crowd cheered as car windows were smashed.

Footage on social media appeared to show a ladder being used to smash down a window of the church.

Police tried to hold a perimeter in nearby Welcome Park but were broken on a number of occasions by rioters who ran towards the church.

They then deployed tear gas to allow their officers to move out of the area.

Some of those gathered could be heard shouting 'they attack us with gas'.

An armoured police truck and riot officers arrived to whisk the alleged attacker away.


sydney church attack
Footage later merged of the alleged attacker being pinned down on his front by at least three people, including a police officer, as he smiled and appeared to mock his captors (pictured)
Anita, a local woman, told Daily Mail Australia she had arrived at the scene after hearing about the incident from her sister who goes to the church, only to find a riot taking place.

She was standing nearby when a 'log' was thrown into the crowd and hit her in the back of the head.

'A police officer came to check up on me and told me to "move and hide",' she said

'I've got the biggest lump on the back of my head.'

Her and her family have been close with Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel since before he was a Catholic leader.

'He's the nicest guy you'll ever meet,' she said.

'He's an angel, he will help everyone and tries to do as much for the community as possible.'

Police tried to hold a perimeter in nearby Welcome Park but were broken on a number of occasions by rioters who ran towards the church

'She added: 'He might say things that are controversial that people don't like, but I don't understand why this guy (allegedly) went and did something like this.'

Liverpool Hospital, in Sydney's west, was placed in lockdown following the alleged stabbing as dozens of worried parishioners gathered outside.

A spokesperson for the the hospital said the emergency department was 'closed to members of the public not requiring care for a period of time tonight as a precautionary measure'.

The alleged attacker was bundled into the back of an armoured police Bearcat vehicle shortly after 10pm.

Around a dozen officers and members of the riot squad watched on as he was whisked away from the tense scene.

He was taken to an undisclosed location due to fears for his safety.

Footage later merged of the alleged attacker being pinned down on his front by at least three people, including a police officer, as he smiled and appeared to mock his captors.

At 10.30pm, NSW Police said they were continuing to 'work on restoring order' in the area.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he had been briefed by the NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and NSW Health on the 'disturbing scenes' in Wakeley in Sydney's west tonight.

'My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and first responders who are working to keep us safe,' Mr Minns said.

'It's important that the community remain calm and continue to listen and act to the directions of Police and Emergency Services.

'We are a strong community in NSW and it's important that we all stick together, particularly in the face of adversity.'

It comes just 48 hours after six people were murdered in Westfield Bondi Junction by a crazed knifeman.

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and a male security guard to death and injured several others before he was gunned down by a police officer.

A spokesperson for NSW Police said Bishop Emmanuel suffered 'non-life threatening injuries'.

'Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries,' the spokesperson added.

Bishop Emmanuel has a large flock on social media, with over 17,000 followers on Facebook.

He gained notoriety during the pandemic when he slammed Sydney's Covid lockdown as 'mass slavery' and claimed vaccines are futile because living 'normally' will boost immunity.


Comment: And he wouldn't be the only church official who called out the contrived coronavirus crisis for the dystopian tyranny it was. Although it is true there weren't many church leaders who did.


Christ The Good Shepherd Church has almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Bishop Emmanuel has a large and dedicated following online. It is unclear how many were watching life as the horrifying incident unfolded.