Sydney, Australia (CNN) — A bishop was among several people reportedly stabbed at a church service in Sydney, Australia on Monday – just two days after the city was rocked by a in a busy shopping mall.
Video of the incident appears to show a clergyman being attacked during a ceremony at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney.
Several others immediately attempted to intervene while screams could be heard in the church.
A man was arrested after officers were called to the incident and has been removed from the church, New South Wales police said.
Police said none of those hurt received life-threatening injuries, and that they were treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to the hospital.
“Police continue to work on restoring order,†the force said in a statement. “A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area.â€
A local official identified the clergyman stabbed as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
While he was bleeding, “he put his hand on the man that stabbed him and said something like, ‘May the Lord Jesus Christ Save you,’†Charbel Saliba, Deputy Mayor of Fairfield City, a suburb of western Sydney, told CNN.
The bishop is a well-known figure in the local community, Saliba said.
Video on social media showed chaotic scenes outside the church, as people kicked and threw objects at police cars, amid angry chants.
Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, said the scenes were “disturbing†and that he had been briefed by the state police commissioner.
“It’s important that the community remain calm and continue to listen and act to the directions of police and emergency services,†he said.
Later Monday evening, Minns convened a meeting of faith leaders representing different religious communities across Western Sydney.
The incident comes shortly after six people were killed and several others injured, including a nine-month-old baby, in a stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.
Australian police said Monday that the attacker in Bondi, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, may have .
Five women were among the six people killed by Cauchi. Twelve others were injured, eight of whom remained in the hospital Monday in conditions ranging from stable to critical.
This story has been updated with further developments.
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