The devastated parents of a teen charged with coercion after allegedly stabbing a bishop assertion helium 'wasn't successful his close mind'.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, is accused of stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 55, portion helium was delivering a livestreamed sermon astatine Christ The Good Shepherd Church successful Wakeley, successful Sydney's west, connected April 15.
The incidental sparked a riot extracurricular the religion with a assemblage of 2,000 radical chanting 'bring him out' and 'an oculus for an eye' arsenic constabulary kept the teen wrong the gathering amid fears for his safety.
His parents person present breached their silence, thanking the constabulary for protecting their lad and expressing alleviation that Bishop Emmanuel survived the alleged attack.
The 16-year-old, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel portion helium was delivering a livestreamed sermon successful beforehand of parishioners astatine Christ The Good Shepherd Church successful Wakeley successful Sydney's westbound connected Monday, April 15, conscionable aft 7pm (pictured). He was aboriginal charged with committing a violent act
Four boys aged were arrested successful anti-terror raids past Wednesday successful occidental Sydney. They included a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and 2 aged 17 (pictured: 1 of those arrested)
'If he's genuinely religious, similar we raised him, helium wouldn't person done that,' she told ABC.
'He's made a large mistake, a precise large mistake.
'But I judge helium wasn't successful his close mind.'
Their lad was aboriginal charged with coercion and faces a imaginable beingness sentence.
Following a bid of raids successful the aftermath of the alleged attack, constabulary person brought charges against six much boys, immoderate arsenic young arsenic 14, who are accused of being portion of a violent network.
At superior schoolhouse helium was bullied and would lash out, his parents said.
'In school, I utilized to get frightened whenever I'd get a telephone call, due to the fact that I knew that they complained astir him,' his parent said.
ABC Investigations discovered that the lad was interacting with extremists successful Australia and crossed the satellite successful the months starring up to the stabbing.
His illustration representation connected WhatsApp was a photograph of Osama Bin Laden, the antheral liable for 9/11.
After constabulary seized his telephone they discovered helium was portion of a WhatsApp radical called BROTHERHOOD with different teenagers who expressed sympathies with convulsive extremism.
The lad had liked a bid of convulsive posts, including a video of Bin Laden encouraging Muslims to dice for their cause.
He made a last station connected Instagram astir an hr earlier the alleged stabbing, imploring Muslims to 'attain triumph implicit their enemies'.
The lad had liked a bid of convulsive posts, including a video of Bin Laden encouraging Muslims to dice for their cause
The boy's illustration representation connected WhatsApp was a photograph of Osama Bin Laden (pictured), the antheral liable for 9/11
Bishop Emmanuel, an Orthodox Assyrian with a ample online following, has made respective arguable comments astir Islam, including that 'Prophet Muhammad failed due to the fact that helium is dead'.
Peta Lowe, a juvenile extremism adept and erstwhile manager of Countering Violent Extremism for NSW Juvenile Justice, told the ABC that it was 'very communal for individuals to person what they telephone "leakage", conscionable arsenic they attack really conducting an attack'.
'It was a precise wide connection that helium had got to the constituent wherever helium was motivated to enactment connected his beliefs,' Ms Lowe said.
The lad underwent country aft accidentally cutting disconnected 1 of his ain digit during the incident.
But his parent revealed his unusual effect erstwhile they visited him successful infirmary aft the alleged attack.
'He was asking for a hug and buss due to the fact that helium saw I was upset,' his parent said.
'Sometimes he'd laugh, sometimes he'd accidental "I don't know".
'He was showing maine his manus similar a baby. I deliberation helium didn't cognize what helium was doing.'
His parents besides claimed helium had been upset aft the decease of a person 2 days earlier the stabbing.
Four boys aged were arrested successful anti-terror raids past Wednesday successful occidental Sydney. They included a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and 2 aged 17.
Police allege they had planned to bargain shotguns, describing themselves as 'soldiers of Allah' and claiming they were consenting to 'die and kill'.
Another two, aged 14 and 16, were charged with possessing extremist material, including Islamic State videos of beheadings.
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