An Australian bishop who’s given viral sermons about the Israel-Palestine conflict and COVID-19 lockdowns survived a vicious attack on Sunday.
During his latest sermon, a 15-year-old boy approached Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the altar. He brandished a bladed weapon and struck the church leader multiple times. Livestream footage shows members of the congregation screaming and rushing the assailant.
The New York Post reports:
Footage posted online Monday shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel speaking at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church, an Assyrian Orthodox church, when an unidentified man in a black hoodie confronts him.
The bishop appears to try to talk to the man, who then stabs the bishop’s face and neck just after 7 p.m. local time.
Emmanuel then fell to the floor as congregants jumped to his aid.
New South Wales Police confirmed that the suspect stabbed multiple good Samaritans before being subdued and arrested. “The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics,” a statement from the organization read.
Video online shows several bystanders restraining the alleged attacker, including a person wearing police body armor. One man, possibly injured, strikes the suspect in the face, leading the police officer to instruct him to stop.
The attacker can be seen smiling and saying, “You think that hurt, my brother?”
Four men were injured in the attack. Emmanuel is a well-known but controversial figure in the local Orthodox community. He gained popularity by publicly opposing Australia’s strict COVID restrictions.
Emmanuel’s condition is stable, the church posted to Instagram.
Sunday’s attack comes days after a mass stabbing at a Sydney mall killed six innocents before a responding police officer fatally shot the attacker.
In that attack, five out of the six people who died were women. Authorities believe the offender deliberately “focused on women and avoided the men.”
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Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
