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Join on Telegram Rabat – Authorities in Australia have declared the knife attack that took place on Monday evening at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney a “terrorist” act.
The assault targeted Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and a priest, leaving them wounded but expected to survive. The perpetrator, identified as a 15-year-old boy, was apprehended by police at the scene.
The incident, which was live streamed, took place during a congregation which saw a person dressed in black approaching the altar and carrying out the attack.
The congregation were able to overpower the assailant before police intervened. However, the situation escalated as an enraged crowd gathered outside the church demanding the assailant be handed to them.
This has resulted in clashes with law enforcement that lasted for over three hours.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb addressed the media, revealing that the suspect’s actions were motivated by suspected religious extremism.
“After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident,” she said.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and Australian Federal Police have since joined state police in a counterterrorism task force to thoroughly investigate the matter.
Initial investigations suggested that the teenager acted alone, but authorities remain vigilant and are not ruling out the possibility of accomplices.
Mike Burgess, the director-general of ASIO, said that there is currently no indication of anyone else being involved.
The incident comes in the wake of heightened tensions following another recent knife attack in Sydney’s Bondi Junction, where an assailant targeted customers at a shopping center. The attack, which took place on Saturday, resulted in multiple casualties, including five women and one man.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the tragic attack, saying:” There is no place for violence in our community. There’s no place for violent extremism.”
Meanwhile, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, alongside Christian and Muslim leaders, issued a joint statement urging calm and solidarity within the community.
Minns also cautioned against any retaliatory violence and emphasized that perpetrators would face the full force of the law.
