Prime minister responds to ‘very distressing’ alleged Wakeley incident
Paul Karp
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has responded to the “very distressing” alleged Wakeley stabbing.
Albanese told WSFM radio:
This incident is extremely concerning. I do urge people in the community to remain calm and listen very careful to police and provide them support. There is no place for violence in our community, there is no room for violent extremism. We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to united not be divided as a community.
Albanese warned it was “completely not acceptable” to damage or impede police vehicles, as occurred after the incident.
Albanese noted NSW police had declared the alleged stabbing was a “terror incident”, and that a strikeforce and joint counter-terrorism investigation had commenced.
Albanese said the young man that police allege is “responsible for this incident is in custody” so there was likely no “further danger”.
NSW premier warns against responding to rumours on social media
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, stressed that people should not respond to rumours on social media following last night’s alleged incident.
It’s very important right now that people not respond to rumours on social media, or even in this media conference today. New South Wales police will provide information to the public based on their investigation. And rumours can spread in the community and start disharmony or a breach to the public order very quickly. Wait for official communication from New South Wales police.
Police will allege ‘degree of premeditation’, commissioner says
Karen Webb says the teenage offender is known to police but is not on any terror watch list.
Police will allege there was a “degree of premeditation”.
We’ll allege that there’s a degree of premeditation on the basis this person has travelled to that location, which is not near his residential address, he has travelled with a knife, and subsequently the bishop and the priest have been stabbed, who are currently in surgery, as I understand it. They’re lucky to be alive.
Police believe the alleged offender was acting alone, but acknowledged it is early in the investigation.
Police commissioner details decision to label Wakeley alleged stabbing a ‘terror act’
The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, provided more details on what went into the decision to treat last night’s alleged stabbing incident as a “terror act”:
I had a teleconference with my team from counter-terrorism command for over an hour this morning to talk through this. The things that influenced my decision to declare this a terrorist incident was the actions of the individual, who attended – we will allege attended that church with a knife, armed with a knife, and stabbed the bishop [while] others were also injured.
We believe the elements … 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 watching online, and subsequently those people that turned up to the church on the outside and the subsequent riot that happened.
Karen Webb, police commissioner of New South Wales. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP
Six paramedics could not leave church during Wakeley incident amid fears for safety, spokesperson says
A spokesperson from NSW Ambulance said paramedics attended to 30 patients last night over the course of three and a half hours.
Of those, seven were transported to hospitals across Sydney. Another patient was sent by private transport for a range of medical conditions and trauma-related conditions, he said.
Approximately 20 people were affected by capsicum spray.
The spokesperson said it was a “rapidly evolving situation” with crowds going from 50 to “hundreds” in rapid time.
Our paramedics became directly under threat and were supported by police and had to retreat into the church.
He said six paramedics could not leave the church for fear of their safety.
The words of some of our staff last night were ‘this was terrifying and extremely violent’.
Those involved in alleged riot can ‘expect a knock at the door’, police commissioner says
NSW police commissioner Karen Webb said a strike force had been established to investigate last night’s incident, and a referral had been made and agreed by the joint counter-terrorism investigation team.
The investigation would involve NSW police, federal police and other Commonwealth agencies, she said.
She alleged that while police and paramedics were responding to the incident in Wakeley, people “converged on that area and began to turn on police”.
People used what was available to them in the area, including bricks, concrete, palings, to assault police, and throw missiles at police and police equipment, and police vehicles.
We’ve had police injured and taken to hospital overnight. And we’ve had many, many police vehicles damaged – 20 have been damaged, and 10 are unusable.
This is unacceptable. Police attended the incident in Wakeley last night to assist that community in response to calls for assistance, and the crowd turned on police.
That is unacceptable and those that were involved in that riot can expect a knock at the door. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. But we’ll find you and we’ll come and arrest you. That is totally unacceptable.
Premier warns against people ‘taking the law into your own hands’
Chris Minns said he wanted to make “very, very clear” that there is “no such thing in Australia [as] taking the law into your own hands”.
He told a media conference:
It doesn’t exist. That’s for several reasons. Firstly, you will be met by the full force of the law if there’s any attempt for tit for tat violence in Sydney over the coming days. Secondly, you are diverting police equipment, investigation power, as well as resources, away from the investigation of this crime.
And lastly and perhaps most importantly, every religious leader representing communities across western Sydney has expressly said don’t do it.
Chris Minns confirms NSW police treating incident as ‘terrorist act’
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has confirmed police authorities are treating an alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley overnight as a “terrorist act”.
Speaking to the media, Minns said the police commissioner, Karen Webb, made the decision at 1.35am to treat the incident as a “terrorist act” and that decision was validated by the minister for police at 1.45am, who contacted Minns at 2am.
Minns said it was “a major and serious criminal investigation”:
It is crucial that New South Wales police are able to devote their resources and intelligence as well as officers to the investigation of this crime.
Webb added:
At 1:35am this morning, after consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.
