The stabbing of an Orthodox bishop in a church on the western outskirts of Sydney by a 15-year-old boy was a "terrorist act": the Australian police have confirmed it. The motive was religious, the authorities specified, inviting the infuriated local community to calm down. "After reviewing all the material, I have declared this to be a terrorist incident," NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said at a news conference.
Webb said the attack was considered an act of religiously motivated "extremism" that intimidated the public, both church parishioners and people watching the service live streamed online. The suspect was "known to police" but was not on any terrorist watchlist, Webb said. Officers responding to the incident soon found themselves attacked by angry people outside the church, she added. "People used what they had available in the area, including bricks, concrete, palisades, to attack the police and launch missile attacks at the police, their equipment and vehicles." The injured officers were taken to hospital overnight, Webb said, without giving figures. The mob had damaged 20 police vehicles, she added. "This is unacceptable and those who were involved in that riot can expect someone to come knocking on their door.
It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow, but we will meet you and we will come and arrest you," Webb assured.