The attack on clergy at a Christian community in Sydney during a church service has been classified as an act of terrorism. The motive of the alleged perpetrator, who was around 16 years old, was obviously “religiously motivated extremism,” said the police chief of New South Wales.
The injured victims include the bishop of the Assyrian community and at least one priest. The attacker was later arrested and, according to Webb, was previously known to police but was not on any watch list for terror suspects. The investigators are talking to his parents to find out more about the teenager's motive.. The government warns against vigilantism. “In Australia, the law is not taken into their own hands,’ Prime Minister Chris Minns emphasized at a press conference. The emergency services were attacked with bricks and fence posts, and a police officer suffered a broken jaw. Even paramedics had to barricade themselves in the church for hours because they were threatened by the angry crowd. The police chief announced that the security authorities would investigate all perpetrators of violence and hold them accountable for the riots.