Seven accomplices of the attacker who stabbed the bishop were arrested in Sydney. They were planning a terrorist attack, police say

According to police, the suspects share a “religiously motivated violent extremist ideology”. According to her statement, all the detainees are between the ages of 15 and 17. “Several associates have been identified from the original Wakeley incident that we believe merit attention and investigation,” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said.

The incident from the suburb of Wakeley in the west of Sydney refers to the already mentioned attack in the Church of Christ the Good Shepherd. The police are treating this attack as an act of terrorism. The BBC reports that the attacker injured four people during the attack, with himself also injured. Australian authorities have not specified his faith, which would link him to the newly arrested boys, but sites such as news.com.au say he converted to Islam relatively shortly before the attack.

The police subsequently started tracking the seven young men, saying that they had a “common intention” with the perpetrator and that they represented an “unacceptable risk and threat” to the public. The police moved to arrest them when they assessed “that an attack was likely to occur”, although they did not say what his plan or target was.

X Network must block access to Sydney church attack video

World

400 police officers took part in Wednesday’s raids across thirteen locations in Sydney. Although seven suspects have already been arrested, the investigation by the counter-terrorism team continues. In addition to those arrested, five other young men were summoned to give explanations in connection with the case.

The Church of Christ the Good Shepherd is home to Australia’s Assyrian Christian community, many of whom have fled persecution and war in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Bishop Emanuel is very well known in this community and has a large following on the Internet.

For many, however, he is a controversial figure due to his ultra-conservative and controversial views on issues such as same-sex marriage or Islam. He was also against government lockdowns and vaccines during the covid-19 pandemic.