Another mass stabbing incident has taken place in Sydney, Australia days after a lone knife-wielding attacker killed five victims at a popular mall in the city. As per Australian media reports, the recent attack occurred at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley when a bishop was preaching sermons that were being live-streamed. After reports of a mass stabbing at the church, multiple police personnel and ambulance crews rushed to the spot and a Police operation is underway. As per the latest reports, the Police have arrested a man and he is assisting the police in inquiries.
As per reports, four people have suffered injuries in this mass stabbing at the church in Wakeley, Western Syndey. The injured victims include a religious leader and the men are believed to be aged in their 60s, 50s, 30s, and 20s. All four victims are said to be male and have reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
BREAKING: In Australia ( Sydney) a knife st@being just happened at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, on a livestream.
— Mini Razdan (@mini_razdan10) April 15, 2024
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The church had advertised the sermons which were being delivered by a Bishop named Mar Mari Emmanuel. At around 7 PM (Australian local time), he was due to give an Assyrian Bible preaching when a man approached him and lunged forward to stab him multiple times.
According to Australian media, NSW Police confirmed they responded to reports of a stabbing, and that they have a man in custody.
A statement said, “Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries.”
The statement added, “The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics.”
Meanwhile, Police have urged members of the public to avoid the area.
Reportedly, the bishop injured in the recent attack is popular in Australia but he is notorious as divisive among the Orthodox community, and many of his sermons are shared online. He attracted attention during the coronavirus lockdown in June 2021 when he criticised the restrictions and vaccine mandates, reports added.
Pertinent to note that the attack comes just days after six people were killed in a mass stabbing incident at a mall in Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction.
Back then, the incident unfolded at 3.20 pm (local time) on Saturday afternoon (13th April) when a man in an NRL jersey began stabbing shoppers at random, including a woman and her nine-month-old baby. He attacked as many as nine people, before a police officer shot him, police assistant commissioner, Anthony Cooke told reporters.
As per the latest reports on that incident, the attacker has been identified as Joel Cauchi (40). Australian police have stated that he specifically targeted women as victims in that mass stabbing attackers were predominantly women. Of the six fatalities, five were women. Authorities further revealed that the majority of the 12 victims who survived the injuries were also women.
The Police have now ruled out terrorism and stated that the 40-year-old assailant had a history of mental illness.
Meanwhile, his father Andrew Cauchi said that his son suffered from schizophrenia. According to him, he targeted women due to frustration at not having a girlfriend.
Nonetheless, there is no indication these two events are linked.
