A 16-year-old was charged with terrorism on Thursday over a stabbing that took place on Monday at a church in Sydney, Australia. The boy, who was known to the police entered the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley during a live-streamed event and attacked the bishop and several worshipers. According to police, religious extremism was a possible motive behind the attack.

After the offender was apprehended, a large mob formed outside the church demanding that police move aside. When the mob became more enflamed, police deployed their assets to contain them, which led in turn to full-scale rioting. These riots saw the further arrest of several people, large amounts of damage to both the surrounding area and police equipment in the area and as many as 51 officers injured due to the attacks from the mob. The riots are still under police investigation as they have identified people of interest that they believe were key instigators.

The most prominent victim of his attack was Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, a well-known local bishop, his church posted on social media that he has forgiven his attacker and hopes that justice will be served by police. They also urged members of their community to let there be a peaceful resolution to the situation.

This is the second stabbing to take place in Australia this past seven days with a man shot dead by police after killing six people in a shopping mall late last week. This has left Australia reeling as the public nature of these offences has shocked the nation. In an interview, Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese discussed the recent state of events in which he called for calm and for the public to put their trust in the police investigation.