Australian police have called Monday's knife attack at a Sydney church a "religiously motivated act of terrorism".
A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a bishop, priest and worshipers were attacked during a service at the Assyrian Church of Christ the Good Shepherd.
At least four people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The attacker was also injured.
The attack in the church happened just days after the multiple murders in the Sydney shopping centre. More about that read here.
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The incident was recorded live at the church and quickly sparked unrest in the Wakeley suburb.
The authorities have repeatedly refused to state the religion of the alleged attacker.
Footage of the attack - and the aftermath - spread like wildfire on social media Monday night, drawing angry crowds outside the Assyrian Orthodox Church, about 35 kilometers southwest of the city center.
There, hundreds of people clashed fiercely with the police, who were guarding the church as doctors treated the attacker.
Two police officers were injured, one with a broken jaw after being hit by a brick and a fence, and 10 police cars were destroyed.
The violence scared the paramedics, so they stayed in the church for more than three hours out of fear for their own safety.
Check out footage from Sydney:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an emergency meeting of national security agencies, calling the attack "disturbing".
"We are a nation that loves peace... There is no place for violent extremism".
In order to prevent further violence, he called on people to "not take justice into their own hands".
Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the bishop and priest had undergone surgery and were "lucky to be alive".
The church announced that the priest, Father Isak Rojel and Bishop Mar Marie Emanuel were wounded.
Ordained in 2011, Bishop Emmanuel became a popular and controversial figure, and his sermons received millions of views on social networks.
Police Commissioner Webb said the teenager allegedly hurled insults at the bishop as he approached and that the comments were of a religious nature.
The police believe that the attack during the service, which was broadcast live on the networks, was intended to "scare not only the faithful present, but also those who watched online".
She said the suspect acted alone, and although he was "known to the police", he was not on any list of suspected terrorists being monitored.
After the attack, the attacker underwent surgery for finger injuries, although it was not explained whether he injured himself or when the gathered believers intervened.
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The incident comes just days after a shocking attack at a popular shopping mall in Sydney, which is not related to this event.
The attacker killed seven people with a knife.
"The concern of the people of New South Wales is understandable, but I am appealing for calm," state Premier Chris Minns said.
Police said they were working to identify those who attacked officers during the protest, and the head of the NSW Ambulance Service called the crowd's behavior "outrageous".
Wakeley is the center of Sydney's small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom have fled persecution and war in Iraq and Syria.
Bishop Emanuel is a prominent leader in that community and one of the "kindest, most authentic, sincere human beings," said local MP Dai Le.
However, the bishop had turbulent relations with the Assyrian Church, he was allegedly suspended for disobeying the canon and establishing a breakaway church.
In 2021, he became a vocal opponent of restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic, describing the lockdowns in Australia as slavery and claiming that vaccines are futile.
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