Sydney church stabbing: police cost 16-year-old boy with terrorism offence

Police have charged a 16-year-old boy alleged to have stabbed a bishop and priest at a western Sydney church with a terrorism offence.

{The teenager} was because of face a hospital bedside listening to of the Parramatta kids’s court docket on Friday. He’s nonetheless recovering from surgical procedure after his finger was severed throughout the alleged assault on Monday evening.

On Thursday evening police introduced {the teenager} had been charged and that he had been refused bail.

Police mentioned on Thursday afternoon counter-terrorism investigators “attended a medical facility to interview the boy, earlier than he was charged with committing a terrorist act … an offence which carries a most penalty of imprisonment for all times”.

Earlier on Thursday the primary particular person arrested and charged for participating in a riot that broke out within the aftermath of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 53, on the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church appeared at court docket.

Dani Mansour, 19, was charged with riot, affray and destroying or damaging property as a part of the group who allegedly attacked police on Monday evening.

A 39-year-old priest was additionally allegedly stabbed by the 16-year-old after making an attempt to intervene, based on police. He and the bishop had been anticipated to recuperate after present process surgical procedure.

The church on Thursday launched an audio assertion from Emmanuel by which the bishop, talking from his hospital mattress, mentioned he was recovering nicely and that he was praying for his alleged attacker.

Emmanuel, who has a preferred on-line presence and a big following, has beforehand criticised Islam and the prophet Muhammad in public sermons.

{The teenager} who allegedly attacked him was charged as a part of a joint investigation with the Australian federal police, Asio and the New South Wales Crime Fee that was launched after NSW police declared the alleged stabbing a “terrorist act”.

On Friday the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, mentioned investigators would allege that {the teenager} had stabbed the bishop “as much as six occasions” after travelling for 90 minutes from his dwelling to get to the church.

“We won’t be able to offer many different particulars as a result of it’s earlier than the court docket,” Webb instructed reporters.

She mentioned investigators had been “glad” the proof that they had discovered substantiated the terrorism cost.

The Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, mentioned the investigation was complicated and “stays ongoing”.

Utilizing a warrant, counter-terrorism investigators had examined digital gadgets they seized from {the teenager}’s dwelling, Kershaw mentioned. He didn’t disclose what that they had discovered on the gadgets.

Kershaw mentioned he would meet religion leaders over the approaching days and that police focused “radicalisation, not faith”.

“We all know that grief hangs heavy over Sydney for the time being,” he mentioned. “There are a lot of communities with questions however our solutions could have extra that means if we discover commonality and never distinction.”

The NSW authorities will contemplate further powers for police in addition to harder knife crime legal guidelines after the alleged church assault and the deadly Bondi Junction stabbing spree that occurred simply two days earlier.