The father of a teenager who allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel spent the night seeking shelter in Sydney’s largest mosque after hearing about the attack.
The 16-year-old, who is under arrest but cannot be identified for legal reasons, allegedly carried out the attack at around 7pm on Monday night in front of parishioners and those watching the service online.
The stabbing sparked violent riots attended by up to 2,000 people, where some were reportedly heard shouting that the teenager was a “dead man”.
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir said the father had been driving through Sydney with a friend, too scared to return home, and told the man to drive to see him at the Lakemba mosque.
“I was really shocked, it broke my heart,” Kheir told the Sydney Morning Herald.
He said the father was “distraught” and told him he just wanted to see his son.
The alleged attack was broadcast online during the church service.
The stabbing sparked violent riots in Wakeley in which five police officers were injured
Kheir said the father told him his son had recently been disobedient, but there was no indication he had been radicalized by extremist views.
“There was nothing I could see because I had gone down so low.”
Kheir added that, in his opinion, this is not a question of religion but of mental health.
“I don’t know any religion… that says go to another parish and stab someone.”
The Lebanese Muslim Association shared images of Lakemba Mosque Imam Sheikh Yahya Safi condemning the attack on Tuesday.
“This goes against our religion, we do not accept it in any way and it is a childish act,” he said in the video message.
“We need our society to maintain this peace of mind and live together safely.”
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils also condemned the stabbing as a heinous act.
“Such an act of brutality is radically opposed to our cherished values ​​of peace, empathy and mutual respect,” he said in a statement, urging community members to help with the police investigation.
Up to 2,000 people rushed to the church after news of the stabbing broke.
Several police cars were damaged in the riots which have been widely condemned.
The attack was declared an act of terrorism on Tuesday, however the alleged attacker, a 16-year-old with a history of knife-related offences, has not yet been charged.
He remained under police guard in hospital and would likely remain there for several days, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
The incident met the criteria to be declared an act of terrorism, giving police greater powers, but it remains to be seen whether the teenager would be charged with terrorism offences, he said.
The teenager’s family has moved out of their home following intense media interest and threats of retaliatory attacks on Islamic religious centers following the stabbing at the Assyrian Christian church.
“I think they’ve made the decision to move temporarily to not be the center of attention about this,” Webb said, adding that their privacy should be respected.
The church (pictured on Tuesday) is an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox faith located in Wakeley, west of Sydney.
A candlelight vigil outside the church passed off peacefully on Tuesday night and no related incidents were reported in Sydney, he said, however a risk remained as emotions ran high.
“This is about one person acting alone and it’s not about one community against another,” he said.
Police were injured and paramedics took shelter in the church when a subsequent riot broke out as some tried to access the attacker, who was being held inside the place of worship at the time.
“We believe that people not associated with the church have come forward as an excuse and it has turned into a riot involving the police,” Ms Webb said.