The 16-year-old boy who allegedly attacked a bishop in a Sydney church is facing life in prison after police charged him with committing a terrorist act.
The boy, who remains in hospital after one of his fingers was severed in the aftermath of the alleged attack, was charged on Thursday night.
Police allege the boy was in the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, in Sydney’s west, just after 7pm on Monday when he approached Bishop Emmanuel Mar Mari and repeatedly stabbed him with a knife.
Following an investigation from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, the boy was charged with committing a terrorist act. The offence carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for life.
He was refused bail and is expected to appear before a bedside court hearing on Friday.
The alleged attack left Bishop Emmanuel with significant injuries to his head.
A 39-year-old man also sustained lacerations and a shoulder wound when he attempted to intervene.
The Joint Counter Terrorism Team Sydney is comprised of members from the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and NSW Crime Commission.
Source Agencies
