NSW Police reveal new faces of Wakeley riot targets
NSW Police have released images of eight more people they would like to speak to after the Wakeley church riot last month.
NSW
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Religious tensions on the streets of Sydney’s southwest have calmed but NSW Police are in no way slowing in their bid to track down all alleged violent offenders involved in the Wakeley church riots, with their latest targets now able to be revealed.
Seven men and one woman are being urged to come forward as investigations continue into the wild scenes that unfolded outside Christ the Good Shepherd Church on April 15.
Senior police say if they do not, they will find themselves being the latest alleged rioters to have their front doors lawfully kicked in.
Four homes across Sydney received the unceremonious early morning wake up call from Strike Force Dribs investigators on Monday with a total of 14 men now having been charged over the riot, that followed the alleged stabbing of a bishop by an accused teenage terrorist.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the faces of the next eight people who now find themselves in the sights of police with Strike Force Dribs Commander Andrew Evans urging them to come forward rather than to have their relatives woken up by police in their loungerooms.
“As you’ve seen today, we will execute those search warrants at family homes and as a result, unfortunately, their families and their neighbours, and their communities, are exposed to police coming through the front door and actively seeking to arrest people,” Superintendent Evans said.
“So my advice is that if you were there on the evening and undertook some kind of violent criminal action, you need to turn yourself in.
“Strike Force Dribs will continue and the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner have made it very clear this particular investigation will go as long as reasonably necessary until we’ve arrested all of people allegedly are responsible for violent acts at Wakeley that night.”
In the days that followed the alleged terror attack and riots there was widespread concerns among the community of reprisal attacks and reports of escalated tensions between the Christian and Muslim communities.
Local community leaders from both religions stepped forward to call for peace, while police also played a key role through not just arrests but also a positive local presence.
“Obviously there was misinformation within the community that there would be retaliatory actions, by having a visible presence among police and also working with our multicultural community liaison officers (MCLO) within our community, we were able to dispel those rumours,” Supt Evans said.
“I’m very very proud of the commitment and dedication that the police that have been seconded into Strike Force Dribs have shown, its been impressive.”
George Boulos was one of those woken early on Monday to find police banging at the door of his large Picnic Point home.
Police allege on the night of the riot he used a metal ladder to smash in a window of the church, in an effort to gain access to the teenager detained inside.
“This particular male we will allege was involved with a ladder, but there were other males who obtained star pickets (and) pieces of wood, and they were actively trying to injure or kill that 16-year-old boy,” Superintendent Evans said.
“We will allege he had ample opportunity to leave and had been asked by police to leave, and he chose not to do that, rather he chose to be part of the mob and act in a violent and aggressive nature, totally against community standards.”
Boulos was charged with riot, aggravated break and enter with intent, throw missile at police officer and assault police officer, and faced Bankstown Local Court where he did not apply for bail, ahead of a return to court tomorrow.
Elsewhere raids were also carried out at the homes of Jouseph Yousif at Raby, Paul Yalda at Edensor Park and Ronald Odisho at Austral.
Yousif was charged with riot and hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty and Yalda was charged with riot, intimidate police officer during public disorder and aggravated break and enter, while Odisho was charged with breach of bail for offences unrelated to the riot.
All three men were granted bail to reappear in court at later dates.
Initally, another man, identified by police as BC, was urged to come forward. On Wednesday, police released a statement saying he “has since been identified with legal action pending”. “Further information will be released when available,” the statement said.
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