On Monday night local time, four people—including a preacher—were stabbed in a church in western Sydney.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, the preacher at Wakeley church, was delivering his sermon when the assailant approached him and began stabbing at him with a knife. The sermon was being livestreamed at the time of the attack.
The four victims were treated by paramedics and said to have non-life threatening injuries. All of the victims were men and said to be of varying ages.
Local police said an operation was underway, and the apparent assailant had been arrested and taken for questioning. New South Wales Police urged people to stay out of the area of the church located in Fairfield, a suburb of Sydney. According to Sky News Australia, a riot erupted outside following the attack.
The mayor called for calm and also asked that people not go down to the church. The bishop is said to be a popular religious leader in the community, with a large social media following.
This is the second stabbing incident to occur in Sydney in the space of a week, after 6 people were stabbed to death at a mall on Saturday.
