Australian Police Call The Stabbing Of Bishops At Sydney Church Terrorist Attacks

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH/Zoe Askew

JAKARTA - The recent stabbing at the Orthodox church in Sydney was declared a terrorist attack with a possible religious motive, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.

The Orthodox bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, was attacked by a man armed with a knife during a service in Sydney.

Bishops and four others were injured as a result of the attack, police said, adding that the suspected perpetrator had been detained.

The action sparked riots on Sydney's streets that resulted in several police officers being injured, Australian media reported.

"Currently we can confirm that this incident was declared a terrorist attack and a 16-year-old teenager has been detained in connection with the incident. This issue is now also being investigated by the NSW (New South Wales) Counterterrorism Joint Team," Kershaw said at a news conference.

The NSW Counterterrorism Joint Team will investigate the stabbing of a bishop as a terrorist attack.

The NSW team collaborated in an undisclosed location and was mandated based on reports to investigate any terror-related incidents, NSW Police said in a statement.

Director-general of security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, which is part of the NSW Joint Team, Mikemen, said the incident was believed to be "be motivated by religion."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was also present at the press conference, called the stabbing attack on the church a disturbing incident.

"There is no place for violence in our society. There is no place for violent extremism. We are a nation that loves peace. Now is the time to unite, not divide as a community and as a country," said the PM.

The stabbing at the orthodox church was the second armed attack in Sydney, Australia, in just three days.

Previously, six people were killed and 12 others injured in a similar action by 40-year-old Australian Joel Cauchi at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall in Sydney.

Five of the dead and the majority injured were women, police said, adding the perpetrators "focused on women and avoided men".

The perpetrator's father confessed to his son's ABC News suffering from scheme.