5 teenagers charged in stabbing of bishop in Sydney church

By Muhammed Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Five teenagers have been charged in connection with the stabbing of a bishop that took place in a Sydney church earlier this month.

In a statement, Australian police said investigators executed 13 search warrants across several suburbs in Sydney on Wednesday and arrested seven juvenile males.

Following inquiries, they said, five of them, aged 14-17, were charged, while no charges have been framed against the remaining two.

Two of the arrested males were charged with a “conspiracy to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act,” the statement said.

Another was charged with “carrying a knife in a public place” and two others were charged with “possessing or controlling violent extremist material,” it added.

All five were denied bail and were due at a Children’s Court on Thursday.

On April 15, 2024, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed while he was giving a livestreamed sermon at a church in Wakeley, a suburb of Sydney.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged, with the New South Wales police commissioner labeling the incident an “act of terrorism.”