Bishop among several people reported stabbed in Sydney church, two days after mall attack

Originally Published: 15 APR 24 07:02 ET

Updated: 15 APR 24 09:57 ET

By Christian Edwards, Paul Devitt and Xiaofei Xu, CNN

Sydney, Australia (CNN) — A bishop was among several people reportedly stabbed at a church service in Sydney, Australia on Monday – just two days after the city was rocked by a mass stabbing in a busy shopping mall.

Video of the incident appears to show a clergyman being attacked during a ceremony at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney.

Several others immediately attempted to intervene while screams could be heard in the church.

A man was arrested after officers were called to the incident and has been removed from the church, New South Wales police said.

Police said none of those hurt received life-threatening injuries, and that they were treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to the hospital.

“Police continue to work on restoring order,” the force said in a statement. “A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area.”

A local official identified the clergyman stabbed as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.

While he was bleeding, “he put his hand on the man that stabbed him and said something like, ‘May the Lord Jesus Christ Save you,’” Charbel Saliba, Deputy Mayor of Fairfield City, a suburb of western Sydney, told CNN.

The bishop is a well-known figure in the local community, Saliba said.

The incident comes shortly after six people were killed and several others injured, including a nine-month-old baby, in a stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.

Australian police said Monday that the attacker in Bondi, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, may have targeted women.

Five women were among the six people killed by Cauchi. Twelve others were injured, eight of whom remained in the hospital Monday in conditions ranging from stable to critical.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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