Twelve angry men: ‘Worst participants’ in church attack still hunted by police

Police have released images of the 12 men they want to question during the wild fight outside Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.

The riot, which investigators say involved 2,000 people, followed the stabbing of Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and priest Isaac Royel during a livestream service on April 15.

A 16-year-old boy has since been charged with a terrorism offense following the attack, which police say was religiously motivated.

In the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, a crowd grew outside the church as members of the congregation helped stop the attacker inside.

Dozens of police officers were injured, their cars were destroyed and some officers and paramedics were forced to take shelter in the place of worship before the 16-year-old could be safely removed.

Andrew Holland, acting deputy commissioner of the NSW Police, said at least 50 of the estimated 2000 people involved in the fight “absolutely went there to cause trouble”.

The 12 men identified in the released images were instrumental in fueling the violence, he said on Monday.

“They saw the anonymity of participating in a riot, they thought they could get away with offences.

“These are the twelve most serious offenders that we have identified.”

Three men have already been charged as police sift through 600 hours of video recorded during the riot, much of it shared on social media.

One man whose image was released bears a distinctive tattoo of Jesus on his stomach and a tattoo sleeve on his left arm.

Some of those who had come to church had come to support parishioners, but many others had attended “for the wrong reasons”, Mr Holland said.

Faith leaders have called for calm after the church attack, which was followed by threats against Muslim places of worship.

More than 50 officers have been assigned to investigate the riot, which saw emergency services staff pelted with projectiles such as rocks and fencing.

Mr Holland said the speed of information sharing on social media had seen thousands of people rush to the site, while the same networks had also fueled calls to attack the other religious sites following the attack on the church.

These events – and the widespread sharing of graphic images and misinformation about a stabbing at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center – have fueled calls for stronger legislation to tackle abuse.

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