CHURCH HORROR
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel stabbed at Sydney church & worshippers injured days after knifeman killed 6 in mall rampage
The attacker was seen calmly walking up to Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel before lunging at him
A BISHOP has been stabbed in Sydney just days after six shoppers were knifed to death in a horror mall rampage in the city.
Shocking live stream footage showed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked while delivering a sermon at a church in Wakeley.
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At least four people were stabbed just after 7pm on Monday night at Wakeley's Christ The Good Shepherd Church.
Bishop Emmanuel - who has a huge following on social media - was reportedly stabbed multiple times and rushed to hospital.
The attacker was said to have been detained by churchgoers before cops swooped and arrested a suspect.
A chilling photo later emerged of what appeared to be the attacker smiling at a camera while pinned down on the floor of the Assyrian church.
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And furious crowds swarmed the streets outside the church after the attack - reportedly calling to "cut off the fingers" of the suspect.
Footage appeared to show bricks and bottles being hurled at riot cops as tensions explode over the latest stabbing to rock the city in just two days.
YouTube live stream footage showed Bishop Emmanuel speaking at an altar as a man calmly walked up to him and lunged at his face and neck with a weapon.
The church leader fell to the ground and screams could be heard from the congregation as several churchgoers rushed forward to help.
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Footage showed him being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher in front of a growing crowd outside.
Two police officers were reportedly injured in the swarm of over 5,000 people outside of the church.
One report said angry bystanders were shouting for the suspect's surrender as he was locked inside the building for his safety.
New South Wales cops have since confirmed he has been "removed from the church and taken to an undisclosed location".
They said "police continue to work on restoring order" in Wakeley following reports that "a number of people were stabbed" at the church.
Sydney attacker who killed 6 shoppers unmasked as surfer, 40, who was ‘obsessed with knives’ & worked as male escort
Earlier cops confirmed: "Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries.
"The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics.
"A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area."
Paramedics confirmed a man in his 50s was taken to hospital with stab wounds.
Three others were treated at the scene - including a man in his 30s and two others with lacerations to the arm and hand.
Sydney's Liverpool Hospital - where Bishop Emmanuel is reportedly in a stable condition - is said to be in lockdown.
Police have not commented on a possible motive for the church attack.
Sydney mall rampage
It comes after rampaging knifeman Joel Cauchi murdered six people at a mall in Bondi on Saturday.
Hero cop Inspector Amy Scott single-handedly confronted Cauchi, 40, as he stalked victims at Westfield Bondi Junction and shot him dead.
The inspector, who happened to be nearby at the time of the attack, fired at the assailant after he turned on her and raised a knife.
Cauchi attacked 17 people - three men and 14 women - during his horror rampage.
Among the wounded were a nine-month-old baby girl and her mum Dr Ashlee Good, 38, who died from her injuries in hospital.
Before Dr Good tragically died in hospital, five others were declared dead in the shopping centre - Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, and Cheng Yixuan, 27.
Security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, was the only man killed in the horrific onslaught.
After hours of emergency surgery, Dr Good's family reported the baby girl is now "doing well".
Police said it was "obvious" the killer focused on women.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that "the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning".
Witnesses told how they heard screaming before seeing the attacker "indiscriminately swiping" at people as he calmly walked along the corridors.
The killer's dad, Andrew, told reporters that his son, who battled with mental illness, had come off anti-psychotic medication shortly before unleashing terror on his victims.
He said: "To you he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy."
On Sunday, Andrew and Cauchi's mum Michele described their son's actions as "truly horrific".
Four people who were injured during the violent rampage have been discharged from hospital, as another eight continue to receive care - some in serious conditions.
Cauchi was known to police before the attack for mental health-related matters.
He is said to have lived with schizophrenia and used drugs including methamphetamine and psychedelics.
He posted an advertisement online mid-last year offering his services as a male escort in which he presented himself as an "athletic good looking 39-year-old guy".
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The surfer, described by "weird" and "strange", is known to have been obsessed with knives - and even once called police to claim "domestic violence" after his parents hid knives from him.
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