15-Year-Old Arrested in New Sydney Stabbing

UPDATE Apr 15, 2024 2:31 PM CDT

The alleged assailant arrested in Monday's church stabbing in Sydney, Australia, is 15 years old, reports the BBC. Police say the teen stabbed a bishop and at least three other people during a live-streamed service, but none of the injuries are life-threatening. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, ordained by the Assyrian Orthodox Church, is said to have a large online following. The teen suspect was being treated for wounds on his hand.

Apr 15, 2024 6:50 AM CDT

Police in Sydney, Australia, were dealing Monday with a second high-profile stabbing attack in a matter of days.

• On Monday: A bishop and an unspecified number of worshippers were stabbed during a church service that was being live-streamed, report the BBC and the Sydney Morning Herald. Police said none of the injuries in the suburb of Wakeley were life-threatening. They had a suspect in custody and said he was cooperating.
• Assault, then prayer: A man in dark clothing was seen approaching the bishop during the sermon at Christ the Good Shepherd Church and appeared to stab him in the chest multiple times as others rushed to separate them, per the Herald. "The bishop then got up, with his injuries, put his hand on the assailant and started praying," said Fairfield deputy mayor Charnel Saliba. The bishop is identified as Mar Mari Emmanuel.

• Shopping mall: Monday's attack follows Saturday's stabbing assault at a busy shopping center in Sydney that left six people dead and more than a dozen others injured. Police say the homeless 40-year-assailant appeared to be going after women, though why isn't clear. "It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives that that seems to be an area of interest: that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men," said New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb, per the AP. The lone male killed was a security guard at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall. Most of the surviving victims were women. The assailant, who was fatally shot by a responding officer, had a history of mental illness, say police.

(More Sydney stories.)