Australian authorities have charged five juveniles relating to the alleged Wakeley church attack on April 15. Following the arrests of sever juveniles, by both New South Wales (NSW) police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), charges were eventually brought against five of them.
A number of searches took place across various suburbs of Sydney and Goulburn, resulting in the initial arrest of seven juveniles. Charges laid against the five include possession or control of material endorsing violent extremism, conspiracy to commit acts aimed at preparing or planning a terrorist act, and conspiracy to commit any act in preparation or planning of a terrorist act. All five of the charged individuals were denied bail and appeared before a children’s court on Thursday.
The stabbing in question occurred on April 15 at a church in Sydney, Australia. As per the official statement from the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, the incident took place during a live-streaming of Bible preaching. The perpetrator attacked the bishop and also attempted to attack the second parish priest.
Mass nervousness ensued, leading the church-goers to demand a withdrawal of the police. When the situation escalated, the police intervened leading to large-scale riots. The main victim of the assault, the local bishop Mar Marie Emmanuel, forgave his attacker and expressed a desire for the police to apprehend the perpetrator. He, along with the church, called on their parishioners to approach the conflict peacefully.
In connection to the stabbing, the police had previously charged a 16-year-old with terrorism on April 18. The accused, known by the police, attacked the bishop and several worshippers during an event that was being live-streamed. The police have pointed towards religious extremism as a possible motive behind the attack.