Detectives and secret service agents executed search warrants in Sydney on Wednesday as part of a major operation related to the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church. The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes federal and state police as well as the nation’s main domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), emphasized the absence of any current threat to the public. This operation stems from a knife attack that occurred on April 15th in a Sydney church, injuring an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw confirmed the operation’s connection to the church attack. He underlined the necessity of lawful interventions to prevent further planning or attacks against the community.
A 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing the two clerics was charged with terrorism offenses on Friday. The teen allegedly uttered Arabic phrases about the Prophet Muhammad being insulted after stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Rev. Isaac Royel in the Christ the Good Shepherd Church while a service was being streamed online.
Police indicated that more details about Wednesday’s operation would be released later in the day. They refrained from disclosing the number of warrants executed or the specific locations searched in Sydney.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess confirmed his organization’s involvement in Wednesday’s operation. He emphasized the role of Australia’s security service in providing intelligence to assist the police in addressing such threats to life and other evolving issues. Burgess noted that investigations involving children constituted 50% of ASIO’s priority counterterrorism caseload a few years ago, but that number has since declined. However, he expressed concern about the rising number of minors under investigation, which he attributed to factors such as social media content.
