TEL AVIV (Sputnik) — The Haaretz newspaper cited Israeli police as saying that the attacker has been identified as Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-Orthodox Jew who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for wounding three activists at the 2005 Gay Pride Parade.
"Two have been seriously wounded, another one was moderately injured and three more sustained light injuries," the police officer told RIA Novosti.
Schlissel’s sentence was commuted to 10 years in 2007. He was reportedly released from prison three weeks ago. Residents in the area where he lived told Haaretz that Schlissel had been distributing pamphlets calling for a stop to be put to the parade.
Some 5,000 people were expected to attend the rally in Jerusalem, which is considered to be the holiest city in Judaism.