Danny Abdallah, the father of the victims of the Oatlands crash tragedy, has spoken out after a popular bishop he had known for years was stabbed.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, in Sydney’s west, on Monday shortly after 7pm when a man dressed in black approached the altar and stabbed him several times.
There are also reports that many other people have been taken to hospital as a tense situation develops on nearby streets.
Abdallah, who is a devout Christian, said he cannot understand why anyone would want to harm him.
He is a respected man in the community. “He is especially loved by the entire Assyrian community,” he said.
Bishop Emmanuel has been described as “wonderful” and “loved” by his congregation
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Wakeley, western Sydney, on Monday night when a man dressed in black approached the altar and stabbed him several times (pictured).
Danny Abdallah says he has known the bishop for years and describes him as “respected”
‘He is a wonderful priest. He lives to serve others and help people.
‘What happened tonight was simply devastating.
‘I don’t know why anyone would do that. It doesn’t make sense that he is a very peaceful man.
Abdallah and his wife Leila’s children, Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking along a path to buy ice cream in Oatlands, in Sydney’s west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.
The driver, Samuel Davidson, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Despite the horrible tragedy and anger he felt, he publicly forgave Davidson and credited his faith for giving him the courage to do so.
Elsewhere, NSW Police have urged the public to avoid the area around the church following the attack, while there are also reports that Liverpool Hospital is closed as a result of the unrest.
Worshipers outside church after stabbing as tensions threatened to boil over
The suspect and the injured Bishop have been taken to two different hospitals in western Sydney, both reportedly with non-life-threatening injuries.
Images posted on social media show angry worshipers outside the Good Shepherd Church of Christ, with some heard shouting “an eye for an eye” after the attack.
Other comments on social media claim that the mob of vigilantes cut off the attacker’s fingers, although that claim is unsubstantiated.