Sydney church stabbing declared a ‘terrorist attack’

BBC:

Australian police have declared Monday’s stabbing at a Sydney church a religiously motivated “terrorist act”.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a bishop, a priest and churchgoers were attacked during mass at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church.

At least four people suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries, police say. The attacker was also hurt.

The incident was captured on a church livestream and quickly triggered unrest in the suburb of Wakeley.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Assyrian Orthodox Church – about 35km south-west of the city centre – and clashed with police. Two officers were injured, one with a broken jaw after he was hit with a brick and fence paling. Twenty police vehicles were also damaged, with 10 left unusable.

The violence similarly left paramedics retreating for cover in the church, where they were “holed up” for more than three hours.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened an emergency meeting of national security agencies, calling the attack “disturbing”.

“We’re a peace-loving nation… There’s no place for violent extremism.”

Authorities are concerned about the role of social media, he added, “including the publication of videos that can be very harmful, particularly for younger people”.