Vision has emerged of a bishop appearing to be stabbed during a service in Sydney. Photo / X
A Christian leader and several worshippers have been stabbed multiple times during a church service in Sydney tonight, with the attack broadcast live on YouTube.
It comes just two days since a man armed with a knife murdered six people in a Bondi mall.
The Daily Telegraph reports the incident at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church occurred shortly after 7pm (9pm NZT).
The church service was being live streamed on the church’s YouTube page.
Screams could be heard as other worshippers rush to the bishop’s aid as he fell to the floor. It’s understood at least two worshippers were also stabbed in a resulting confrontation.
The Australian Jewish Association says the victim was Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
Graphic video of the incident shows a man dressed in black approaching the Bishop and stabbing him multiple times in the head, neck and back.
Churchgoers can be seen rushing to the victim’s aid.
Daily Mail Australia said Christ The Good Shepherd Church had almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.
9News has reported up to four people have been injured in the attack.
Multiple police and ambulance crews allegedly raced to the scene.
NSW Police have confirmed they responded to reports of a stabbing and one man has been taken into custody.
”Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries,” a statement said.
“The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics.”
Police urged members of the public to avoid the area, 9News reported.
There is no indication tonight’s event is linked to the Bondi mall attacks, 9News said.
7News reported NSW Ambulance were treating four patients.
Two men aged in their 50s and 30s allegedly had multiple lacerations.
A man in his 20s was being treated with a laceration on his hand and a man in his 60s with a laceration on his arm, 7News reported.
The men suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Second mass stabbing to hit Sydney in two days
It comes just two days after Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed six people to death and wounded at least 12 others in a knife rampage at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall.
He was shot dead by a police officer after lunging at her with a knife.
He killed Dawn Singleton, 25, Ash Good, 38, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55 and Yixuan Cheng, 27.
Yesterday police described Cauchi’s troubled past. He had a history of mental health treatment and was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager. Police also said he was estranged from his family.
“I’m loving a monster,” the attacker’s father Andrew Cauchi told Australian media. “To you, he’s a monster but to me, he was a very sick boy.”
His mother, Michele Cauchi, told the Mail she believed her son attacked women during his rampage “because he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills”.
His parents phoned police to offer information when they recognised him on television news coverage of the attack.
They were due to be formally interviewed as part of police investigations.
”I’m extremely sorry, I’m heartbroken for you,” Andrew Cauchi told news.com outside his Rangeville home, about 130km west of Brisbane.
”This is so horrendous I can’t even explain it. I’m just devastated, I love my son.”
Sydney stabbers dark past
Details have emerged about Cauchi’s past, including an instance in which he called police on his family after they took away his knives in 2020.
He had also posted on social media asking to meet people who shoot guns.
In his last social media post hours before the massacre, Cauchi said he was going surfing at Bondi Beach and wanted to meet people there.
The Daily Mail earlier reported Cauchi worked as a male escort and sold sexual services online.
He offered “closed-door” services to men and women, as well as other options the Mail would not publish due to their graphic nature.
He advertised on several websites, Australia Cracker, Empire Escorts and Escorts Australia.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said there was “no ideological motive” behind Cauchi’s frenzied attack.
But she and Queensland Health, the state’s public health service, confirmed he had a history of mental health treatment and was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 17.
More to come
Six people dubbed heroes after Bondi Junction Westfield attack that left six dead and 12 injured