2024-04-16 01:59:05
After the knife attack in Sydney on Saturday with six deaths, the next attack followed on Monday: a teenager stabbed clergy in a church. The police now classified the crime as an act of terrorism.
The attack during a church service in a Sydney church has been classified by investigators as an act of terrorism. The motive of the alleged perpetrator, who was around 16 years old, was “religiously motivated extremism,” said Karen Webb, the police chief of the Australian state of New South Wales, at a press conference. The police assume it was a lone perpetrator.
According to police, at least four people were injured in the attack during the service at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley near Sydney on Monday. Among them was the bishop of the Assyrian community who held the mass and at least one priest. The Assyrian Church is a Christian religious community.
Attack during live broadcast
Footage from the live broadcast of the service published on the Internet shows the attacker approaching the priest during mass and stabbing him before being overpowered by eyewitnesses. The attacker was later arrested and, according to Webb, was previously known to police but was not on any watch list for terror suspects.
Just on Saturday, six people were killed in a knife attack in a shopping center in Sydney. According to the investigators’ initial findings, the perpetrator apparently has psychological problems. A terrorist background was ruled out in this case. The investigators are talking to his parents to find out more about the teenager’s motive.
Riots in front of the church
After the attack, violent clashes broke out outside the church between police and hundreds of outraged people trying to get to the suspect. According to police, several officers were injured and several emergency vehicles were damaged in the riots. The emergency services were attacked with bricks and fence posts. Paramedics also had to barricade themselves in the church for hours because they were threatened by the angry crowd.
Several people confront the police: police officers are said to have been thrown bottles and stones at them.
According to police, the perpetrator himself was also injured – it initially remained unclear how he suffered the apparently serious injuries. According to media reports, several of his fingers were cut off. When asked by journalists whether the angry mob was responsible, Webb replied that it was part of the investigation.
According to their own information, the emergency services had to treat a total of 30 patients and seven injured people were taken to hospital. The police chief announced that the security authorities would investigate all perpetrators of violence and hold them accountable for the riots.
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