SYDNEY (AP) — The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
The 16-year-old boy spoke in Arabic about the Prophet Muhammad after he stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and the Rev. Isaac Royel during a church service on Monday night that was being streamed online. Neither cleric sustained life-threatening injuries.
The Orthodox Assyrian congregation overpowered the boy and he remained in an undisclosed hospital on Wednesday under police guard. He sustained severe hand wounds in the struggle.
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir, an advocate for Sydney’s largest Muslim community, said he spent two hours with the boy’s distraught father at the family home soon after the attack. The family has since left their home for fear of retaliation.
“He was in shock,” Kheir said of the father, who has not been identified.
“He was not aware of any signs of becoming more extreme other than the fact that he was becoming more disobedient to his father. But that was about it. He didn’t see any tell-tale signs, so to speak,” Kheir added.
Kheir is among several community leaders who have accused police of unnecessarily raising community tensions with a premature declaration on Tuesday that the attack at Christ the Good Shepherd Church fit the definition of a terrorist act under New South Wales state law.
“I’m concerned that we’ve rushed to a pre-judgment of a 16-year-old child,” Kheir said.
“He used the language of religion, we’re not debating that at all. In a sense that he targeted another religion, that’s not debatable,” Kheir said.
“What’s debatable is what mental state was this child in? Was he of a sane mind to even make such a rational call? All we’re saying is surely there was time for the police to do a more thorough investigation and a review before they labelled it a terrorist act,” Kheir added.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Wednesday stood by her declaration of a terrorist incident as defined by the Terrorism (Police Powers) Act 2002.
The act gives police expanded powers to stop and search people, premises and vehicles without a warrant and to detain suspects in response to a terrorist attack or an imminent threat of an attack.
The church attack met the act’s criteria of having a political, religious or ideological motivation and was intended to cause intimidation, she said.
“I was satisfied based on the information that was provided very early Tuesday morning that it met that criteria and I made that declaration without any hesitation,” Webb said.
She said whether the boy would be charged with terrorism offenses was a separate consideration and would depend on the results of the police investigation.
According to media reports, the boy had been convicted in January of a range of offenses including possession of a switchblade knife, being armed with a weapon with an intention to commit an indictable offense, stalking, intimidation and damaging property. He was released from court on a good behavior bond.
He had also been expelled from school for bringing a knife to class, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
Police are also investigating the conduct of 600 people who converged on the church on Monday night and demanded police hand over the boy, who was temporarily barricaded inside for his own safety.
The crowd hurled bricks, bottles and fence boards at police. Two police officers were hospitalized and several police vehicles were damaged.
Webb said police were attempting to identify perpetrators of crimes during the riot from various sources of video and from fingerprints left on police cars. She expected arrests to be made as early as Wednesday.
“Not all those people there were rioting against the police, but those people who were, they can expect to be identified and arrested and put before the courts,” Webb said.
Police later announced a suspected rioter had been arrested at his Sydney home on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old man had been taken from his home to a police station but had yet to be charged, a police statement said.
The Lebanese Muslim Association runs Australia’s largest mosque in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba. Security has been elevated at that mosque and several others since Monday when fire bombing threats were made.
Security has also been increased at shopping malls around Australia after a lone assailant stabbed six people to death at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction mall on Saturday. The rampage ended when the 40-year-old assailant, who had a history of mental illness and no apparent motive, was shot dead by police. No terror declaration was made in that case.
Police do not suspect any copycat element to the church attack two days later, Webb said.
Westfield Bondi Junction will open its doors on Thursday for the first time since it was shut down on Saturday as a crime scene. Shops will remain closed for what is described as a “community reflection day.”
Elliott Rusanow, chief executive of Scentre Group, which owns the mall, said families of victims made private visits on Tuesday.
The church attack is only the third to be classified by Australian authorities as a terrorist act since 2018.
Two police officers and a bystander were shot dead in an ambush by three Christian fundamentalists near the community of Wieambilla in Queensland state in December 2022. The shooters were later killed by police.
In November 2018, a Somalia-born Muslim stabbed three pedestrians in a downtown Melbourne street, killing one, before police shot him dead.
McGuirk contributed from Melbourne, Australia.
Police patrol outside the Christ the Good Shepherd church in suburban Wakely in western Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Australian police say a knife attack in Sydney that wounded a bishop and a priest during a church service as horrified worshippers watched online and in person, and sparked a riot was an act of terrorism.(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings played a tight-checking series at even strength. The special teams matchup, however, was lopsided — and that’s why it ended in five games.
“That was a difference in this series,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Leon Draisaitl scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win their first-round NHL playoff series.
The Oilers power play went 1 for 5 on the night but scored twice just after time had expired on a penalty. Edmonton finished 9 for 20 with the man-advantage in the five games. Los Angeles, meanwhile, was 0 for 1 in this game, going scoreless on 12 power plays in the series.
“It’s pretty simple to write this one,” Kings interim head coach Jim Hiller said. “You saw one team execute, and one team not, on special teams.”
Zach Hyman -- with his seventh goal of the postseason -- and Evander Kane also scored for Edmonton, which only dropped a 5-4 loss in overtime of Game 2 in the best-of-seven series.
Evan Bouchard added three assists, and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two each as Edmonton’s offense broke out at Rogers Place. McDavid extended his points total to a playoff-leading 12 (one goal, 11 assists).
Stuart Skinner made 18 saves after posting a shutout in Edmonton’s 1-0 win at Los Angeles in Game 4.
The Oilers move on to the second round, where they’ll face the winner of a matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators. Vancouver leads the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday in Nashville.
The Oilers now get some rest while waiting for their next opponent.
“Rest is always a good thing, rest is a weapon this time of year,” McDavid said. “That being said, we have to make sure we’re ready to roll. Practice hard against each other ... make sure there’s no change in our game.”
Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere and Blake Lizotte scored for Los Angeles, and David Rittich stopped 22 shots in his second straight start.
Edmonton eliminated Los Angeles in the opening round for the third straight year after coming out on top in six games in 2023 and seven in 2022.
“You’re out of the playoffs regardless of who beats you, but definitely not a great feeling getting the worst of it three years in a row,” the Kings' Anze Kopitar said. ”We’ve just got to play better, really. Special teams hurt us a lot, obviously, this series. There were parts of the games where we were good, we were dictating the game, but you’ve got to do it, obviously, more often and every game, too, in order to win the series.”
Down 2-1 in the second period, the Oilers scored three consecutive goals to take 4-2 lead.
Draisaitl had a power-play goal at 7:44 after a couple exchanges with McDavid to tie it. Rittich appeared to rob Draisaitl with a desperation glove save, but fans cheered as if it were a goal upon seeing the replay and officials ruled the puck crossed the line after a video review.
McDavid and Draisaitl connected again just after a penalty expired with 7:39 left in the period for the German forward’s fifth of the playoffs.
“When he’s got his feet moving, when he’s playing hard on both sides of the puck, there’s not many guys better than him in the whole world,” McDavid said. “He always seems to bring that game this time of year.”
The undisciplined Kings put Edmonton up a man again near the end of the period. This time, Hyman tapped home a puck on the goal line moments after Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois stepped out of the box to make it 4-2.
The Oilers hunkered down to hold off the Kings most of the third. But with the goalie pulled, Kempe deflected a shot past Skinner with 2:18 left to trim the deficit to one.
The Kings pressured for an equalizer in the final two minutes until Phillip Danault hooked Draisaitl with 19.7 seconds left — sending Edmonton on a power play and squashing L.A.’s chances of a comeback.
Kane opened the scoring on Edmonton’s second shot of the night at 10:17 with a soft backhand that slipped past Rittich.
Los Angeles tied it with 28 seconds left in the first when the puck caromed around the boards and bounced in front of the net to Laferriere, who shot into an open net with Skinner out to play the puck.
Lizotte then scored 3:08 into the second to give Los Angeles its only lead of the game and quiet Rogers Place before Edmonton replied with an onslaught.
It’s the first time the Oilers have advanced from the first round in three straight years since 1990-92.
The Oilers fell 4-2 in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights last year.
McDavid became the sixth player to record 10 or more assists through the first five games of the playoffs — and the first in nearly 30 years. Draisaitl joined McDavid and Sidney Crosby as the third active player to record 10 points in four or more playoff series.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Los Angeles Kings goalie David Rittich (31) looks on as Edmonton Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93), Leon Draisaitl (29), Evander Kane (91) and Brett Kulak (27) celebrate a goal during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings players celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Alex Laferriere (78) scores a goal on Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings goalie David Rittich (31) is scored on by Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman (18) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Matt Roy (3) chases Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) as goalie David Rittich (31) poke checks the puck during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Mikey Anderson (44) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) chase Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) and Mattias Ekholm (14) celebrate the win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers players shake hands after the Oilers won Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl (29), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) and Zach Hyman (18) celebrate a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Mattias Ekholm (14) celebrates the win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93), Leon Draisaitl (29), Evan Bouchard (2), Zach Hyman (18) and Connor McDavid (97) celebrate a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
