Australian police execute search warrants as part of a ‘major operation’ over church stabbings

SYDNEY (AP) — Detectives and secret service agents investigating the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church have executed search warrants in the city as part of a major operation. The searches were conducted on Wednesday by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which incorporates federal and state police as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. The team said in a statement there is no current threat to public safety. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the “major operation” is related to a knife attack in a Sydney church on April 15 in which an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest were injured. A 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing the two clerics was charged on Friday with terrorism offenses.