Australian bishop stabbed, two others injured inside Sydney church just days after mall massacre

The incident comes just days after six people were stabbed to death at a nearby mall that had sparked massive riots throughout the area.

Footage posted online Monday shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was speaking at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church, an Assyrian Orthodox church, when an unidentified man in a black hoodie confronted him.

The bishop appears to try to talk to the man, who then stabs the bishop’s face and neck around 7 p.m. local time.

The bishop was promptly rushed to a hospital.

The accused has been taken into police custody.

The bishop is presently in a stable condition, the church has informed in an Instagram post.

The motive behind the stabbing remains unknown at present.

Bishop Emmanuel has gained a following online in recent years as an outspoken critic of COVID restrictions.

He described lockdowns in one sermon as “mass slavery” and has spoken out against vaccine mandates.

The attack Monday comes just days after a knife-wielding man stabbed more than a dozen people at a popular mall in Sydney.

It is unclear if the two attacks are linked.