Sydney rocked by second mass stabbing in days as knifeman attacks bishop and worshippers in church
April 15, 2024 04:40 pm
A bishop and several worshippers were attacked inside Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley on Monday night just after 7pm.
NSW Police confirmed a man has been arrested following reports a number of people were stabbed.
The force said the injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by emergency services.
Footage of the harrowing attack was shared on social media.
The video shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel speaking to the congregation before a man dressed in all black walks up to him and allegedly stabs him a number of times.
Screams can be heard before a live feed of the Mass, which was being shown on YouTube, was quickly cut off.
On Saturday, six people were killed at Westfield Bondi Junction complex.
They have been named as Jade Young, 47, Dawn Singleton, 25, Pikria Darchia, 55, Faraz Tahir, 30, Ashlee Good, 38 and Cheng Yixuan, 25.
A number of others, including a 9-month-old baby, were also injured.
Authorities have said the attack was most likely related to the mental health of attacker Joel Cauchi, and that it appeared he had targeted women.
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.
--With agencies inputs
