TRANSCRIPT
Calls for peace as the community reels from a second stabbing attack in less than a week.
This time the target was a prominent Orthodox Christian leader in the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel - of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church - was delivering a sermon, broadcast on the church's livestream, when chaos erupted.
(Sound of sermon being interrupted)
A 16-year-old male approached the altar, lunging at the bishop with a knife, before he was separated from him by worshippers and then subdued by police.
Several people were taken to hospital with injuries, including a number of police officers - after scenes of violence outside the church.
(Sounds of melee outside the church)
This parishioner says the speed with which events unfolded was terrifying.
"There was a lot of unrest and more people kept coming. Then the police came. It was a sad situation for everyone. It was a lot of unrest. It was scary. It was scary, but everyone was just upset."
He says there is a lot of affection for the bishop, who regularly livestreams his sermons, as well as cultivating a presence on social media.
"He's amazing man, and he's loving. He's unapologetic. In today's day and age, he's standing up for our morals and our Christian values. So he helps a lot of us, a lot of us youths in trouble. He's bringing my brother, set him on a proper path or a right path. He continues to inspire us. He wouldn't want all this unrest. If anything, he would've want more peace."
Bishop Emmanuel and a senior priest are in a stable condition in hospital.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb says the attacker has been arrested and he is believed to have acted alone.
She says the incident is being investigated as a "terrorist incident".
"We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious-motivated extremism, and of course the intimidation of the public through that person's acts. By attending that church, whilst it was being livestreamed; intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance, but those parishioners who were watching online. And subsequently those people that turned up to the church on the outside; and the subsequent riot that happened. We understand he's about 16 years of age. He's known to police. However, he has not been on any terror watch list."
New South Wales Police is leading the counter-terrorism investigation, with the help of the Australian Federal Police, domestic spy agency ASIO and the state crime commission.
Additional police patrols are being deployed in Sydney.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has met with members of the national security committee.
"There is a disturbing incident. There is no place for violence in our community. There's no place for violent extremism. We're a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide as a community and as a country."
He says this event - coming so close after the Bondi Junction mass stabbing - has added to the unease felt by the community.
He says it is important that social cohesion is maintained.
"We have overwhelmingly a harmonious society in Australia. In my local community, people of different faiths live side by side and that is overwhelmingly the experience of Australians. It is vital in my view that we continue to stress what unites us, and that respect for each other be maintained at all times."
Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton says he is offering bipartisan support for any changes to federal laws on knife crime - although he adds he doesn't see any obvious changes that need to be made.
"We are willing and we stand ready to support the government. I think the offer of bipartisanship support at the moment is important. I have expressed that in my letter to the prime minister today that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the government to provide reassurance to the Australian public at the moment who off the back of Bondi, what we saw in western Sydney, and what the Jewish community is experiencing at the moment, I think people would expect us to take that stance and we do."
Extra security is being maintained at other places of worship, including Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's southwest.
Gamel Kheir is the secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association.
He says Lakemba Mosque has received firebomb threats.
"We are vigilant. Hopefully common sense will prevail. We're also asking for the police to protect all places of worship. We are worried that there may be attacks on all forms of faith, and that is the last thing we need."
He says the association is doing outreach of its own to alienated youths - and he urged patience as the police conduct their investigation.
"We condemn any form of violence, regardless of where it's perpetrated or by whom it's perpetrated. Really on the back of Bondi, the last thing this community needs, and I'm talking about the whole wide Australian community, is more senseless violence and we condemn it outright. It has no place in religion and it has no place in society. These 20 years of inter-religious affiliations should not go to waste. We've been working very hard with other denominations and religions to foster an understanding and appreciation of each other's faiths, and it'd be very sad for this to be destroyed by an isolated event."
The director-general of security for ASIO, Mike Burgess, says Australia's security threat level remains at "probable" .
"Our job is also to look at individuals connected with the attacker to assure ourselves that there is no one else in the community with similar intent. At this stage, we have no indications of that. But it is prudent that we do this to determine there is no threats or immediate threats to security. At this time, we're not seeing that."
Social media has been awash with video footage of the latest attack in Wakeley - and also the deadly incident at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Australia's online safety regulator says that material has resulted in rumours, speculation and distress.
E-safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says removal notices have been issued, under the Online Safety Act, to social media platforms to remove the harmful content.
"We know that every minute counts. And the more this content is up there, the more that is re-shared, the more the velocity and the virality continues, and we need to stem that."
Dai Le is the federal MP for Fowler, which includes the Wakeley community.
She says making sense of this latest attack is difficult.
"As a member for one of the most multicultural and multi-faith electorates in the country, I am calling for calm, for peace. I know my community is very resilient. And our culturally linguistically diverse communities, our multi-faith communities, will pull through this together."
Listeners seeking mental health support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
