Sonny Bill Williams says he is “praying” for a Sydney bishop who was stabbed on Monday night as Australia recovers from a second horrific attack in a matter of days.
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 a dark hoodie approached the altar and stabbed him. repeatedly.
Horrific footage of the incident, which was streamed live on the church’s YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel looking on in shock as the attacker suddenly rains blows on his face and head.
That footage quickly circulated on social media, and former All Blacks star Williams, 38, shared it from Andrew Tate’s X account with a message for Bishop Emmanuel.
“Praying for your full recovery,” she posted, with an open palm emoji.
A bishop who was attacked Monday night received a message from Sonny Bill Williams
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel stabbed during service in Sydney
The horrific incident sparked riots outside the church as hundreds gathered in protest, throwing bottles and bricks at a hastily erected police barrier as chants of “an eye for an eye” and “take him out” could be heard.
Images emerged immediately after the attack of the alleged attacker being pinned face down by at least three people, including a police officer, while smiling and appearing to mock his captors.
A man, with blood visible on his jeans, sits with his legs straddling the alleged attacker’s head.
‘People are praying and you come and (supposedly) do this?’ the man says as he lightly pats him on the cheek.
The policeman injects: ‘Stop, let him go, please.’ You’re going to make things worse.
But then the man holding the camera moves the other’s leg aside to reveal the alleged attacker’s face.
He is smiling and appears to laugh when the man holding the camera says, “you’re an idiot, you’re going to suck it up.”
The alleged attacker then appears to say: ‘Do you think they will hurt my brother?’ as police officers try to make the men leave.
The situation outside the church and on surrounding streets remains tense with the NSW Public Order Riot Squad deployed to the scene.
“A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area,” a spokesperson said.
NSW Ambulance said four people were injured in the incident and taken to hospital.
After the stabbing, groups of police officers, completely outnumbered, huddled together as bottles and bricks were thrown at them.
Former All Black Sonny Bill, 38, sent his prayers on social media following the attack
Some in the crowd cheered as car windows were smashed.
Images on social media appeared to show a ladder being used to knock down a church window.
Police attempted to maintain a perimeter at nearby Welcome Park, but it was breached several times by rioters who ran toward the church.
They then fired tear gas to allow their officers to leave the area.
Some of those gathered were heard shouting ‘they are attacking us with gas’.
It comes just 48 hours after a knife-crazed knifeman killed six people at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and a security guard to death and injured several people before being shot dead by a police officer.
A NSW Police spokesperson said Bishop Emmanuel suffered “non-life-threatening injuries”.
“Officers arrested a man and he is assisting police with investigations,” the spokesperson added.
There were hostile scenes outside Cristo El Buen Pastor Church on Monday night.
Worshipers gathered outside the church with palpable tensions after the attack.
Police were deployed to deal with the situation in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Daily Mail Australia has approached NSW Ambulance for comment.
Bishop Emmanuel has a large social media following, with more than 17,000 followers on Facebook.
He gained notoriety during the pandemic when he criticized Sydney’s Covid lockdown as “mass slavery” and claimed vaccines are useless because living “normally” will increase immunity.
Iglesia Cristo El Buen Pastor has almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.