Priest attacked in mass stabbing in Australia church: "He kept saying 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar'"

Sydney, April 16: In a shocking development, a priest and at least four others were attacked in a mass stabbing at a church in Australia’s Sydney on Monday. The accused who allegedly attacked the bishop screamed "Allahu Akbar" after plunging a knife into his face, neck and torso at least eight times.

Notably, the attack on the priest was captured in the church’s livestream on YouTube. The video showed a man dressed in black walking up to the altar and stabbing the priest, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, at The Good Shepherd Church multiple times. Four others were also injured in the attack.

The accused who allegedly attacked the bishop screamed "Allahu Akbar" after plunging a knife into his face, neck and torso at least eight times. The incident has been declared a terrorist attack, with police saying alleged elements of the accused’s actions indicated "religiously motivated extremism".

Also Read: Australia: 5 killed after multiple stabbings in a Sydney mall, several victims including a 9-month baby injured

The police said that the accused has been arrested for the attack. Initial reports suggested that the churchgoers had barricaded the attacker inside the church and were not allowing him to leave. Moreover, there were chants of, “bring him out!” as police and paramedics took shelter inside the church with the alleged offender for several hours.

In the Saturday’s stabbing at the mall, the attacker, identified as Joel Cauchi, killed six and injured another eight people. In a later report, it emerged that he had appeared to primarily targeted women in the attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “horrific act of violence” and said the gender breakdown of the victims was “concerning”.