Accused Wakeley church teen charged with terrorism offence

The 16-year-old has been refused bail and is expected to appear before a hospital bedside court hearing on Friday.

The 16-year-old alleged to have stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has been charged with a terrorism offence.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a terrorism offence after he allegedly stabbed  Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a Sydney Assyrian church.

The teenager has been refused bail and is expected to appear ­before a hospital bedside court hearing on Friday.

Fairfield Police attended the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley about 7.10pm on Monday and found Bishop Emmanuel with significant injuries to his head. Senior Parish Priest Isaac Royel, who attempted to intervene, also sustained lacerations and a shoulder wound.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the teenager allegedly made comments “centred around religion”, while Premier Chris Minns said the terror designation was not “performative”, and the boy’s history and rhetoric aided the decision.

Investigators from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team Sydney interviewed the boy before he was charged. Committing a terrorist act carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for life.

Parishioners who witnessed Monday’s violent scenes recounted how they thought the accused 16-year-old boy was simply making his way forward to “kiss the cross”, before he allegedly struck the bishop.

“People assumed he was going up to the cross to kiss it … he walked all the way up and suddenly pulled the hand out of his pocket, the knife went straight for the bishop’s forehead,” a congregation witness said.

Speaking in Assyrian via a translator, the churchgoer alleged the 16-year-old “walked in a straight line down to the priest” upon entering the front door and struck Bishop Emmanuel, before yelling and chaos ensued.

The witness alleged – as have a number – that the boy’s flip-knife “didn’t fully open” during parts of the attack. “When (the bishop) fell down, the attack continued,” he alleged. “(The teenager) then adjusted his knife to make sure it was fully opened.”

The boy lost at least one finger during the incident – “during the commission of a crime”, meaning it was not done to him by someone else – and remains in hospital.

“We just thought it was a normal community guy coming up to kiss the priest’s hand or the cross … then he just took a knife out of his pocket,” the witness alleged.

“This guy was attacking everyone – people jumped on top of him and held him down to the ground. After the police came it became scary again after people started damaging police cars and throwing bricks.”

In the ensuing scuffle as parishioners subdued the teenager, another three were injured as well as 50 more outside the church after a 100-strong riot broke out.

In a video of the incident, the boy allegedly says, in Arabic, that he “wouldn’t be here” if the bishop – who has criticised Islam – hadn’t “offended his prophet”. An audio message recorded by a local leader that identified the boy said his views had been “poisoned”.

However, the boy’s family had seen no signs of radicalisation and did not believe anyone was “brainwashing” their son. They told The Australian on Wednesday they believed he had an undiagnosed health disorder and anger issues.

The family and members of the Muslim community have also been left confused by the quick terror declaration, given the boy had yet to be formally interviewed by NSW Police.

Bishop Emmanuel in his first public comments said he had forgiven the teenager. “I forgive whoever has done this act,” he said, urging for his supporters to pray instead of retaliate. And I say to him, ‘You’re my son, I love you and I will always pray for you’.”

Mr Minns said NSW would emerge intact – if not stronger – from the Bondi and Wakeley attacks as he assembled religious leaders to enlist their help in cooling rising tensions.

Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir said there remained a “heightened sense of anxiety” after unsubstantiated rumours had circulated that there may be some form of reprisal against the community during ­Friday prayers. The Australian has not verified those rumours, but can confirm they were circulating.