(RNS) — The Los Angeles Police Department will have increased police presence and patrols around Jewish places of worship as a precautionary measure this weekend after the shootings of two Jewish men outside synagogues over the last two days.Jaime Tran was arrested and charged with federal hate crime acts in connection with the Wednesday and Thursday shootings, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tran allegedly told police he had searched for a kosher market on Yelp before the shootings, the Times reported.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, which has been communicating with law enforcement, said the suspect in the shootings “has a history of animus towards the Jewish community.”
“The facts of the case led to this crime being investigated as a hate crime,” the LAPD said in a statement, noting the agency had recovered a rifle and a handgun during the investigation. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said both men who were shot were Jewish and said his agency is also increasing patrol around Jewish centers.
Rabbi Noah Farkas, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, said this pair of shootings is not completely surprising, given a recent wave of public antisemitic incidents in the L.A. area.
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