2024 Wakeley church stabbing

2024 Wakeley church stabbing
Rioters on Welcome Street with police presence
Map indicating the location of the incident
Location	Christ The Good Shepherd Church, Wakeley, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33.8728°S 150.9062°E / -33.8728; 150.9062
Date	15 April 2024 7:15pm  – (Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00)
Attack type	Mass stabbing
Weapon	Knife
Deaths	0
Injured	7 (including alleged perpetrator)
Motive	Islamic extremism
Accused	Unnamed 16-year-old boy

On 15 April 2024, a knife attack took place in Wakeley, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a teenager entered Christ The Good Shepherd Church and stabbed six people, including Assyrian Christian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Father Isaac Royel. While no one was killed, it was the second mass stabbing in the city in three days, following the 2024 Bondi Junction stabbings. Police stated that the stabbing was a "terrorist attack".

Background

Wakeley hosts a small Assyrian Christian community, many of whom are refugees from Iraq and Syria who fled war in their respective countries.

Originally from Iraq, Mar Mari Emmanuel was ordained as a bishop in 2011 but later broke away from the Assyrian Church of the East due to theological differences and established his own Christian denomination.

Emmanuel criticised liberal Christian denominations, as well as other religions such as Judaism and Islam in his sermons. He was a prominent critic of lockdowns and vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia He espoused conservative stances on issues such as LGBT rights and sexuality. He was also a vocal support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war, notably by calling for peace. Clips from his live-streamed sermons have been re-uploaded on social media and have amassed millions of views in which he gained an international following. According to Emmanuel himself, just about one month before the stabbing, there were threats spread on TikTok, stating "the Bishop has two weeks to live".

Stabbing

The stabbings took place after 7:00 pm in the suburb of Wakeley, 34 kilometres (21 mi) south-west of the Sydney CBD. An assailant wearing a black jumper, entered Christ The Good Shepherd Church located on Welcome Street, shouted “Allahu Akbar”, and attacked six people with a knife, starting with the bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, whom he approached at the pulpit and then stabbed multiple times in the head and upper body. The weapon was allegedly a switchblade, which is banned in Australia, but the attacker had not opened it fully before jabbing the weapon.

In a video released by one of the churchgoers, the teenager can be heard speaking Arabic, saying "if he didn't insult my prophet and religion, I wouldn't have come here".

The event occurred during a live-stream of Emmanuel preaching whom the congregation gathered around after he was stabbed. According to Charbel Saliba, Deputy Mayor of Fairfield, he witnessed the bishop putting his hand over the attacker immediately after having been stabbed by him, and saying "May the Lord Jesus Christ save you".

In response to the events, 11 ambulances were sent to the church.

Casualties

Five people suffered non-life-threatening injuries: men in their 20s, 30s and 60s, a priest and the bishop. Another man in his 50s who had multiple cuts and said to be in serious condition was taken to Liverpool Hospital, which was placed under a partial lockdown.

The alleged assailant was also treated for injuries to his hand, which were not intentionally caused by parishioners, but by the ensuing tussle. Rumours had promptly spread through the crowd outside the church and hospital and on social media that vigilantes had "chopped off" some of his fingers, which was untrue. NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed with 2GB's Chris O'Keefe about the teen's severed fingers, but did not explain whether the teen severed his own fingers or if it was done to him.

Suspect

A suspect was subsequently apprehended and taken into custody. The suspect, while not as yet named, was first reported to be 15 years old, later revised to 16. He was known to police but was not on a terrorism watch list and was not a parishioner of the church. He had previously been convicted in January 2024 for various weapons offences as well as stalking, intimidation and damaging property, but was later released on a good behaviour bond by a court in Sydney.

Footage showed the alleged attacker smiling while held to the floor by a police officer and after being apprehended by churchgoers. The assailant's identity was withheld due to juvenile laws in New South Wales. His father said that his son showed no signs of radicalisation before the attack.

Investigation

Police stated that the stabbing that had "elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism." At a press conference in Canberra, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director General Mike Burgess said that the intelligence agency was aware of alleged references made by the assailant pertaining to the bishop having insulted the prophet Muhammad. Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force Karen Webb said police had spoken with the boy’s parents, but she could not provide specific details of that conversation.

A counter-terrorism task force was set up to investigate the attack, particularly on whether other persons were involved. The task force consisted of officials from the New South Wales Police Force, the Australian Federal Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Aftermath

More than 100 police personnel were deployed to the church. Large crowds estimated to be composed of about 500 people gathered outside the church and the hospital, where it seemed that the alleged attacker was being held. The crowd screamed "Bring him out!" as police and paramedics remained inside the church with the alleged offender for a few hours. The crowds clashed with police and attacked police vehicles. Riot police used pepper spray on the tumultuous crowd outside the church. Police helicopters encircled the area, broadcasting the message: "All persons, please vacate the area immediately."

A total of 30 people were injured during the riots, of which seven were hospitalised. Several police officers were also injured, including one who suffered a broken jaw. Twenty police vehicles were damaged, while ten were rendered unusable. Six paramedics were trapped inside the church for more than three hours due to the violence. Several houses were also broken into. Police operations ended before 1:00 am on 16 April. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb vowed that the violent rioters involved will be "prosecuted". She also announced the formation of Strike Force Dribs to respond to the riot, as well as the implementation of additional patrols to help "community harmonisation."

Muslim community leaders expressed fears that the decision by the authorities to label the incident as a "terrorist attack" may encourage Islamophobia, and questioned whether that label was being applied consistently. Police were deployed in mosques across Sydney after reports that text messages were being circulated calling for the Assyrian Christian community to retaliate against Muslims. The Lakemba Mosque, the largest in the country, also hired additional private security after receiving fire bomb threats on 15 April.

Reactions

The Christ the Good Shepherd's administration requested prayers for the victims of the attack as well as the alleged perpetrator in accordance with Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac's wishes. It also called on those that had gathered at the church to "leave in peace". The Assyrian Church of the East also said that its "hearts and prayers are with the victims" and hoped for their "comfort and speedy recovery".

Noting that Bishop Emmanuel prayed for his attacker after the attack, Councillor Steve Christou of the Cumberland City Council stated "It just shows the remarkable courage of a man and the forgiveness he has within him to pray for his alleged attacker."

The attack was condemned by other religious leaders, groups and organisations including the Australian National Imams Council and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry following a meeting with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who also expressed sympathies with victims and emergency services and called for calm.

Frank Carbone, the mayor of the City of Fairfield, said the attack and subsequent riot was "a very emotional situation", adding that the community was "very upset" over the incident.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack, saying that there was no place for "violence in our community" and "violent extremism". He also called on Australians to "unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country." Mike Burgess, the Director-General of Security of ASIO, declared that Australia's terror threat level was "possible", which meant extremism was an existing danger. The Australian government ordered Meta Platforms and X to remove offensive content relating to the attack within 24 hours or face fines.