Results for: Church Stabbing

Following a stabbing incident targeting a Sydney-area church, Australian authorities have charged five teenagers with terrorism and extremism-related charges. The charges were brought against five of seven teenagers arrested after a series of raids across Sydney and its suburbs. Two 17 and 14 year-old boys face charges of possessing extremist material online, while two 16 year-olds and a 17 year-old are accused of planning a terrorist attack. The latter was also charged with carrying a knife in a public area. The investigation into the attack, which has been deemed a terrorist incident, has sparked a political debate over the handling of videos of the incident on social media. The debate centers around the refusal of social media platform X to remove all videos of the stabbing, with Australian authorities, led by the eSafety Commissioner, clashing with X and its CEO, Elon Musk. The eSafety Commission has obtained a court order requiring X to hide the videos globally, while X and Musk have accused the government of censorship and attempting to control user content. The cleric who was stabbed in the attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, has expressed his support for X’s stance, emphasizing the importance of freedom of speech and religion. However, he also acknowledged the government’s desire to remove the graphic videos. Despite Emmanuel’s stance, Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has backed the government’s actions, arguing that the eSafety Commission’s takedown authority should not extend beyond Australia’s borders.

Five teenagers have been charged with terrorism-related offenses following the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church. The arrests were part of a major operation by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which included federal and state police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, and the New South Wales Crime Commission. The teens, aged 14 to 17, are accused of conspiring to engage in or plan a terrorist act, possessing or controlling violent extremist material, and carrying a knife in public. Police allege the network included the 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing the bishop on April 15 during an online church service. Authorities believe the group adhered to a ‘religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology.’ Two clerics survived the attack, which was the second high-profile recent stabbing in Sydney.

Over a week after a bishop was stabbed during a live-streamed church sermon, counter-terrorism police have conducted raids on multiple Sydney properties. The Joint Counter Terrorism Team is leading the ongoing investigation, with no current threat to public safety or connection to Anzac Day commemorations. More details on the raids will be released later today. The counter-terrorism squad comprises state and federal police, as well as ASIO and NSW Crime Commission officials. The raids follow the arrest of a 16-year-old on terrorism charges in connection with the attack at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on April 15th. The stabbing, believed to be religiously motivated, injured Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and priest Isaac Royel before the attacker was apprehended. Arrests have also been made in connection with riots that erupted outside the church following the incident.

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has been ordered by an Australian court to remove footage of a Sydney church stabbing. Musk has stated that the company will appeal the order on the grounds of free expression. Australian authorities have expressed concern over the spread of the violent videos, while Musk has accused them of censorship. The incident has sparked a legal battle between X and Australia’s eSafety Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the country’s Online Safety Act.