A bishop and several worshippers were injured when a man wielding a knife attacked them in a Sydney church on Monday.
Four people were injured in the incident at Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, about 30km west of the city centre.
Officers have detained a suspect. The victims suffered non-life threatening injuries and were being treated by paramedics.
The service was live streamed and footage captured the moment the suspect leapt at Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
Video from the church's live stream was shared widely online and shows a man dressed in black approaching the bishop and appearing to repeatedly stab him in the head and upper body.
As police detained the attacker, hundreds of people gathered outside to demand he be handed over.
Some of those in the crowd clashed with riot police and vehicles were damaged.
The church and local leaders pleaded for calm.
“A large police response is under way and the public is urged to avoid the area,” police said.
In a message on social media, the church said the bishop and a senior priest, Isaac Royel, were in a stable condition at a hospital and asked for people to pray for them.
“It is the bishop’s and father’s wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator,” the church said. “We also kindly ask anyone at the church premises to leave in peace.”
Bishop Emmanuel has been described in Australian media as a divisive figure.
He had previously given sermons criticising the Covid-19 vaccine and lockdowns, according to reports.
The bishop has reportedly used previous sermons to speak on international politics. He previously said that the election of US President Joe Biden was “rigged by the secret societies”, Australia's WA Today reported.
The incident is the second stabbing in Sydney to attract global attention in two days after six people were killed in a knife attack at a mall in Sydney's Bondi area on Saturday.
A number of people appeared to rush to help, subduing the attacker as he attempted to continue the attack. He was shot and killed by a sole police inspector who was first on the scene.
The New South Wales ambulance service said at least four people were injured including a man in his 50s who was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
