The devastated parents of a teenager accused of terrorism after allegedly stabbing a bishop claim he was “not of sound mind”.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 55, while he was delivering a live-streamed sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, West Sydney, April 15. .
The incident sparked riots outside the church with a crowd of 2,000 chanting “take him out” and “an eye for an eye” as police kept the teenager inside the building amid fears for his safety.
His parents have now broken their silence, thanking the police for protecting their son and expressing relief that Bishop Emmanuel survived the alleged attack.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel while he was delivering a live-streamed sermon in front of parishioners at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney, on Monday, April 15. after 7 pm (pictured). He was subsequently accused of committing a terrorist act.
Four elderly children were arrested in counter-terrorism raids last Wednesday in Sydney’s west. Among them were a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds (in the photo: one of those arrested)
“If he was truly religious, like we raised him, he wouldn’t have done that,” she said. ABC.
“He has made a big mistake, a very big mistake.
“But I don’t think he was in his right mind.”
His son was later charged with terrorism and faces a possible life sentence.
Following a series of raids following the alleged attack, police charged six more children, some as young as 14, accused of being part of a terrorist network.
In elementary school he was bullied and lashed out, his parents said.
“At school, I used to get scared every time I got a phone call, because I knew they were complaining about him,” his mother said.
ABC Investigations found the boy was interacting with extremists in Australia and around the world in the months before the stabbing.
His profile picture on WhatsApp was a photo of Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for 9/11.
After police confiscated his phone, they discovered he was part of a WhatsApp group called BROTHERHOOD with other teenagers expressing sympathies for violent extremism.
The boy had liked a series of violent posts, including a video of Bin Laden encouraging Muslims to die for his cause.
He made a final Instagram post about an hour before the alleged stabbing, imploring Muslims to “gain victory over your enemies.”
The boy had liked a series of violent posts, including a video of Bin Laden encouraging Muslims to die for his cause.
The boy’s profile photo on WhatsApp was a photo of Osama Bin Laden (pictured), the man responsible for 9/11.
Bishop Emmanuel, an Orthodox Assyrian with a large online following, has made several controversial comments about Islam, including that “the Prophet Muhammad failed because he is dead.”
Peta Lowe, a youth extremism expert and former NSW Youth Justice Countering Violent Extremism director, told the ABC it was “very common for people to have what they call ‘leaks’, just as they approach carry out an attack.”
“It was a very clear message that he had reached the point where he was motivated to act on his beliefs,” Lowe said.
The boy underwent surgery after accidentally cutting his finger during the incident.
But his mother revealed his strange response when they visited him in hospital after the alleged attack.
“He asked me for a hug and a kiss because he saw that I was upset,” his mother said.
‘Sometimes he laughed, sometimes he said “I don’t know.”
‘He was showing me his hand like a baby. I don’t think I knew what she was doing.
His parents also claimed that he had become angry after the death of a friend two days before the stabbing.
Four elderly children were arrested in counter-terrorism raids last Wednesday in Sydney’s west. They included a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys.
Police allege they had planned to buy shotguns and describe themselves as “soldiers of Allah” and stating that they were willing to “die and kill.”
Two others, aged 14 and 16, were charged with possession of extremist material, including videos of Islamic State beheadings.
