Australian police announced on Thursday that they have charged five teenagers with terrorism-related offenses in connection with the stabbing of an Assyrian Christian bishop during a live-streamed sermon earlier this month.
The five boys, scheduled to appear in children's court on Thursday, were apprehended on Wednesday in the Sydney area. Authorities stated that they were associated with a 16-year-old boy who had previously been charged with the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on April 15 at his church.
The newly announced charges include possession of violent extremist material, conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist act, and carrying a knife in public, according to New South Wales police.
Bishop Emmanuel, known for his social media presence and outspoken views on various issues including homosexuality, COVID-19 vaccinations, Islam, and the US presidential election, was injured in the attack at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakefield.
The Assyrian Church, with its roots in regions now part of modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iran, has its global headquarters in Iraq.
The assault on Bishop Emmanuel occurred shortly after a deadly mass stabbing in Bondi, highlighting unusual incidents of gun and knife violence in Sydney, which is typically regarded as one of the world's safest major cities.
