Gaza Unrest Among Lines of Inquiry Into Motives for Church Stabbing

‘In terms of the events in the Middle East, of course they do resonate here in Australia,’ said Mike Burgess, head of Australia’s spy agency.

A member of NSW Forensic police is seen at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley in western Sydney, Australia on April 16, 2024. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Any link to the war in Gaza will be among the lines of inquiry as authorities conduct a thorough investigation into the terror attack on a Christian bishop and other churchgoers in Western Sydney, the boss of the Australian domestic intelligence agency says.

The act of terror took place on Monday evening (April 15) when Assyrian church leader Mar Mari Emmanuel, and at least three parishioners, were stabbed by a young man during a livestream service at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley.