Sydney church stabbing LIVE: Riots erupt after bishop and priest were attacked at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley - as 15-year-old boy is arrested

A bishop stabbed during a church service in Sydney prayed for his alleged attacker moments after being stabbed, Daily Mail Australia understands.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley - an incident broadcast on the church's livestream.

The attacker, a 15-year-old boy, was seen approaching and then stabbing the bishop multiple times, raining blows down to his head and upper body at the altar as parishioners screamed and ran to the cleric's aid.

Police said the attacker was known to them.

After the attack, a furious mob of around 2000 people swarmed near the church with riots breaking out and police struggling to maintain order.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told media at a late-night press conference that police are ‘disappointed’ in the community following the ugly scenes.

In the aftermath of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Father Isaac Royel, by a boy, 15, the situation outside the church and on surrounding streets grew tense.

'A number of police were injured and multiple police vehicles were damaged,' Mr Holland said.

'We are a little bit disappointed in the community themselves. A number of houses have been damaged.

‘They've broken into a number of houses to gain weapons to throw at the police.

'They've thrown weapons and items at the church itself. It was obviously people who wanted to get access to the young person.'

Police have vowed to ramp up patrols on mosques and places of worship in the area as tensions run high.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland, Commander for South West Metro Region, revealed that the alleged atttacker was just 15 years old and is known to police.

He has been taken to an undisclosed location where he remains under police guard.

The senior cop was also asked about rumours the alleged assailant's fingers had been chopped off in revenge.

'Reports are that he has injuries to his hands - I don't know the extent of those injuries at this point,' Mr Holland said.

He added: 'His injuries are quite severe in his hand, he's fairly upset and fairly distraught.'

The teenager is not a regular attendee at the church.

Mr Holland praised the 'fantastic job' of the parishioners but said the 'large crowd' outside the church gave officers grave concerns for the teen's safety.

'A decision was made to retain the young person in the church for his safety,' he said.

The wild scenes prompted the deployment of over 100 police officers, 30 vehicles and PolAir helicopters.

Mr Holland said the riot went on for 'a number of hours' and it took the police 'some time' to establish order.

'A number of police were injured and multiple police vehicles were damaged,' he added.

Mr Holland said police would be 'hunting down' those involved in the riot.

It is understood that Father Isaac Royel (pictured), who serves in the Assyrian ministry at St Shimun Bar Sabbae and St Mary Cathedral, was among those injured.

In a statement published shortly before 10.30pm, Christ The Good Shepherd Church revealed both Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac were in a 'stable condition'.

'We ask for your prayers at this time. It is the Bishop's and Father's wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator,' the statement said.

'We also kindly ask anyone at the Church premises to leave in peace, as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, teaches us.'

The alleged attacker was bundled into the back of an armoured police Bearcat vehicle shortly after 10pm.

Around a dozen officers and members of the riot squad watched on as he was whisked away from the tense scene (pictured below).

He has now been taken to an undisclosed location due to fears for his safety.

It comes as pictures have emerged of smashed police car windows and windscreens.

At 10.30pm, NSW Police said they were continuing to 'work on restoring order' in the area.

Footage has emerged of the alleged attacker being pinned down on his front by at least three people, including a police officer, as he smiled and appeared to mock his captors.

One man, with blood visible on his jeans, sat with his legs straddling the alleged attacker's head.

'People are praying and you come and (allegedly) do this?', the man said as he lightly slapped him on his cheek.

The police officer interjected: 'Stop, just let go, please. You're going to make it worse.'

But then the man holding the camera pulled the other man's leg away to reveal the alleged attacker's face.

He smiled and appeared to laugh as the man holding the camera said: 'You're a f***ing idiot, you're going to cop it.'

The alleged attacker then appeared to say: 'You think they'll hurt my brother?' as the police officers tried to usher the men away.

The western Sydney suburb of Wakeley was eerily quiet on Tuesday morning following a shocking stabbing and riot outside a church.

Broken glass covered the road outside the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, which also had police tape on the entrance after violent scenes erupted on Monday night.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at the church in Wakeley in Sydney's west on Monday just after 7pm when a 15-year-old boy dressed in black walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times.

Father Isaac Royel was also injured, with both he and Bishop Emmanuel taken to hospital in stable condition.

Hundreds of angry locals gathered outside the church on Monday night after the stabbing was live-streamed, with many taking aim at the multitude of police officers who were called to the scene.

A constable was hit with a metal object, chipping his tooth and leaving him with a twisted knee, while another officer broke their jaw after he was hit with a brick and fence paling.

A wooden fence paling was seen on the road outside the church early on Tuesday morning, while shards of glass and bricks were scattered across the pavement.

Residents are staying inside their homes on Tuesday morning as police officers roam around the church.

Cars parked outside the church and along Welcome St somehow appear to have escaped any damage, with even a white Maserati untouched.

Liverpool Hospital, in Sydney's west, was placed in lockdown on Monday evening.

It is understood large crowds fromed outside the building following the alleged attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church.

Pictures from the scene showed police tape around the entrances.

A spokesperson for the the hospital said the emergency department was 'closed to members of the public not requiring care for a period of time tonight as a precautionary measure'.

'The ED remained open at all times to those requiring care, including those arriving via personal car or via ambulance,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he had been briefed by the NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and NSW Health on the 'disturbing scenes' in Wakeley in Sydney's west tonight.

'My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and first responders who are working to keep us safe,' Mr Minns said.

'It’s important that the community remain calm and continue to listen and act to the directions of Police and Emergency Services.

'We are a strong community in NSW and it’s important that we all stick together, particularly in the face of adversity.'

Mr Minns had to fly home just a day into a recent family holiday to Japan after the Westfield Bondi Jucntion stabbing massacre on Saturday.

The priest stabbed during a sermon at a church in western Sydney is a known anti-vaxxer who railed against lockdowns during the Covid pandemic.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was delivering mass at Wakeley's Christ The Good Shepherd Church on Monday night when he was attacked at about 7pm.

Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church's YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker dressed in black suddenly rains down blows on his face and head.

Bishop Emmanuel rose to prominence during the Covid pandemic by criticising harsh lockdown measures which he branded 'mass slavery'.

He claimed vaccines would not work against the virus because living 'normally' would boost immunity.

'Are we humans? Because we are being treated like animals,' Bishop Emmanuel said in a sermon in 2021.

'They are encouraging people to go and take vaccine and stay at home. They have had enough.'

He has since developed a large TikTok following and has 290,000 followers on the church's Facebook.

NSW Police warn members of the public to avoid the area around the church, while there are also reports that Liverpool Hospital is in lockdown.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone has called for calm in the community, and provided an update on the injured bishop: 'He should be okay'

Danny Abdallah, the father of the Oatlands crash tragedy, has spoken out after a popular bishop, who he has known for years, was stabbed during a sermon.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west on Monday just after 7pm when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him multiple times.

There are also reports of multiple others taken to hospital as a tense situation unfolds on nearby streets.

Mr Abdallah, who is a devoted Christian, said he cannot comprehend why anyone would want to hurt him.

‘He’s a respected man in the community. He’s loved by all of the Assyrian community especially,’ he said.

‘He’s a wonderful priest. He lives to serve others and help people.‘What happened tonight was just devastating.

‘I don't know why anyone would do that. It doesn’t make sense he’s a very peaceful man.’

Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila’s children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking on a footpath to buy ice-cream in Oatlands, in Sydney's west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.

The driver, Samuel Davidson, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.

He is serving a 20-year jail sentence.

Despite the horrific tragedy and the anger he felt, he publicly forgave Davidson and credited his faith for giving him the courage to do so.

The suspect and the injured bishop taken to two different hospitals in Sydney's west, both with non-life threatening injuries

Video from the scene shows an angry mob smashing the windows of police cars as they try to get to the stabbing suspect.

Police use pepper spray in response.

Angry worshippers are facing off with police outside the church. One shouts 'eye for eye'

Video from the scene shows a huge mob rioting outside the church

Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church's YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker suddenly rains down blows on his face and head.