Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel’s life was saved when his alleged attacker’s knife failed to open properly during the frenzied attack, and the suspect cut his finger in the botched attack.
His close friend Danny Abdallah spoke to the bishop while he was recovering in hospital overnight and revealed new details of the incident on Tuesday morning.
Abdallah, who lost three of his children and his niece to a drunk and drugged driver, called the bishop’s miraculous escape an “act of God.”
Bishop Emmanuel was allegedly stabbed multiple times and rushed to hospital in stable condition after the incident which was broadcast live online.
A 16-year-old boy dressed in black was seen walking calmly towards the bishop at his altar at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, west of Sydney, about 7.10pm on Monday.
He appeared to unleash a series of blows while holding an instrument in his hands, repeatedly striking the bishop.
In the video clip, the alleged attacker pauses briefly to look at his hand before resuming the attack, but was unable to properly open the knife.
It has since been confirmed that the attacker cut his finger with the knife during the attack.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel’s life was saved when his alleged attacker’s knife failed to open properly during the frenzied attack (pictured)
Danny Abdallah (pictured with his wife), who lost three children and a niece in 2020, called the alleged knife fight to open the knife “an act of God.”
“He (the alleged killer) went for the face and when he went for the face, (the knife) didn’t open,” Abdallah told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
He told Fordham that the bishop appeared to be recovering well from the Tuesday morning attack, which has since been labeled by police as a suspected terrorist incident.
“As far as I know, he’s fine,” Abdallah said of Bishop Emmanuel. He wasn’t very hurt yesterday. He was in stable condition.
‘He is a good man, he is a spiritual man. He loves his church, he loves his people.’
Father Isaac Royel was also among the four people injured in the incident, which has now been declared a terrorist attack.
Abdallah lost three of his children (Sienna, eight, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13) and his 11-year-old niece, Veronique Sakr, in a tragic accident in western Sydney in 2020.
The family is very religious and Mr. Abdallah is a friend of Bishop Emmanuel.
The suspected knife (pictured being held) has been labeled by police as a suspected terrorist.
A mob gathered outside Christ the Good Shepherd Church (pictured) in Wakeley following the incident, resulting in several more injuries.
Abdallah also took the opportunity to condemn the actions of a mob that attacked police following the arrest of the alleged killer.
Hundreds of Emmanuel bishops gathered outside the church to protest the alleged stabbing. It is understood they believed the alleged attacker was still inside.
The protest quickly turned into a violent riot that resulted in 30 people being injured, including police officers.
Footage showed the mob throwing bottles and bricks at a police barrier and shouting “an eye for an eye” and “take him out.”
Prime Minister Chris Minns told a press conference on Tuesday morning: “There is no such thing as taking the law into your own hands in Australia.”
“They will be given the full force of the law if any violence occurs in Sydney in the coming days.”
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said 20 police cars were damaged in the riot.
“The police officers, of whom there were many, acted bravely to protect that community, the witnesses, the victims and the ambulance officers,” he said.
“They went there to do their work last night and they were excited.”
It is understood 30 people were injured in the riot (pictured) following the alleged stabbing on Monday night.
Footage showed the mob throwing bottles and bricks at a police barrier and shouting “an eye for an eye” and “take him out” (pictured, remnants of Tuesday’s riot).
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dom Morgan said several paramedics were trapped inside the church due to the riot.
“The paramedics were threatened and… had to retreat to the church,” he said.
‘The officers who serve this community and the police every day were sheltered in that church for three and a half hours.
Six of our paramedics were unable to leave those facilities for fear of their own safety.’
Up to 100 police officers, including riot officers, were called to the scene along with POL AIR.
Abdallah said of the riots: “I condemn it, it is not right.”
‘They should have left him in the hands of the police to look after him, they shouldn’t have done what they did.
“These are kids who see him as a spiritual father and felt that their father was stabbed and were probably angry, but they still have no right to do what they did.”
Footage taken immediately after the attack showed the knife-wielding teenager being restrained by at least three people, including a police officer.
The teen appeared to smile and mock his captors as they held him in place.
A man, with blood visible on his jeans, was sitting with his legs straddling his head.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) said 20 police cars were damaged in the riot.
‘People are praying and you come and do this?’ he said.
The police officer intervened: ‘Stop, let him go, please. You’re going to make things worse.
Police have declared the alleged attack an act of terrorism.
‘The Petrine Strike Force has been established to investigate that side of last night’s events and the joint counter-terrorism investigation team has made a referral and agreed that we will work jointly with the leader of the New South Wales Police, with the AFP and other Commonwealth agencies in this investigation. ‘ said Commissioner Webb.