The terrorism categorisation allows more law enforcement resources to be focused on the crime. The declaration also gives police expanded powers to stop and search people, premises and vehicles without a warrant.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the teen’s comments and actions pointed to a religious motive for the attack. She didn’t detail the wording of the comments that led her to believe he had been religiously motivated.

“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious-motivated extremism and of course the intimidation of the public through that person’s acts, by attending that church, whilst it was being live-streamed, intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance but those parishioners who were watching online and subsequently, those people that turned up to the church on the outside and the subsequent riot that happened,” Ms Webb said.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency, and Australian Federal Police have joined state police in a counterterrorism task force to investigate who else was potentially involved.

The church said in a statement today the 53-year-old Iraq-born bishop’s condition was “improving”.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has a strong social media following and is outspoken on a range of issues. He proselytises to both Jews and Muslims and is critical of liberal Christian denominations.

He also speaks out on global political issues and laments the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

The bishop, described in local media as a figure sometimes seen as divisive on issues such as Covid-19 restrictions, was in national news last year with comments about gender.

While one task force will look into the background of the attacker, the other will work to identify those in the rioting mob that attacked a number of police officers and paramedics responding to the scene, reported News.com.au.

The premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns urged the community to remain calm and “stick together.” Religious leaders expressed shock and condolences.

Australians were still in shock after a lone assailant stabbed six people to death in a Sydney shopping mall on Saturday and injured more than a dozen others.

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland suggested the weekend attack heightened the community’s response to the church stabbing.“

Given that there has been incidents in Sydney the last few days with knives involved, obviously there’s concerns,” he said. “We’ve asked for everyone to think rationally at this stage. We spoke to community leaders and members of the community to speak to their local people, to try and keep people calm.”

A nine-month-old baby girl was left fighting for her life after her mother was killed in the rampage, which ended when Cauchi was gunned down by a hero police officer.

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Australia’s spy chief said he would check people close to the attacker to rule out any further threats to the community.

“It is prudent that we do this to determine there’s no threats or immediate threats to security. At this time, we’re not seeing that,” said Mike Burgess, director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

Asked by a reporter about a video circulating of the alleged attacker pinned to the ground, his face obscured, with a voice speaking in Arabic “if they didn’t insult my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here”, Mr Burgess said: “We’re aware of those comments … everything else is open lines of inquiry to understand why that individual got to where they did.”

Authorities urged people not to take the law into their hands.

“You will be met by the full force of the law if there’s any attempt for tit-for-tat violence in Sydney over the coming days,” New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns told reporters.

Emergency crews said they attended to around 30 people after the clash outside the church, and seven were taken to hospitals with injuries. Several police were also hospitalised with injuries and 20 police vehicles were damaged, New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.

It was the second major stabbing attack in just three days in Australia’s most populous city after six people were killed and 12 injured in a knife attack at a beachside mall in the Bondi area on Saturday.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese said there was no place in Australia for violent extremism.

“We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country,” he said during a media conference.

It comes as four people including Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church were injured in a knife attack on Monday.