Police say the 36-year-old who ran his vehicle into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn on Wednesday night had previously attended an event at the synagogue, and was again attempting “to connect with the Lubavitch Jewish community” — but will now face multiple hate crimes charges.

At a Thursday press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny disclosed that Dan Sohail of Carteret, N.J., was the driver who plowed his Honda Accord into the Crown Heights synagogue and yeshiva of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Kenny revealed that Sohail had “recently connected with the Lubavitch community” and attended a “social gathering” at the same location 10 days prior. The vehicle ramming occurred on Yud Shevat, the anniversary of the death of Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, a highly significant date for the Lubavitch community that draws large crowds to the Crown Heights area. 

“We believe he was in Brooklyn last night to continue his attempt to connect with the Lubavitch Jewish community,” said Kenny, who added: “There are currently no specific or credible threats to synagogues, Jewish sites or any houses of worship citywide.”

Kenny, however, reiterated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s promise to add additional uniformed cops, patrol officers and even “counter-terrorism resources where appropriate” to religious institutions citywide, regardless of affiliation.

The police chief revealed the Brooklyn district attorney’s office would charge Sohail with multiple counts of attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment — all with hate crime enhancements, subjecting the accused to further penalties.

Kenny said that Sohail told officers that “his foot slipped” while driving and he “lost control of the car because he was wearing chunky boots.” But this contrasts with security footage the NYPD official said the department recovered from nearby, which he stated showed Sohail parking his vehicle some distance away, approaching the synagogue on foot and removing bollards that blocked the driveway leading to the entrance. Kenny said Sohail then drove his vehicle up to the iconic red-brick building and got out to remove snow obstructing the sidewalk — then repeatedly drove into the entryway through the path he had cleared.

Kenny said that in video footage of Sohail attending an event at the Chabad headquarters earlier this month he “seemed to be very at home with the Jewish community.”

However, Kenny asserted that hate crime charges were appropriate because Sohail targeted the location due to its religious character.

“The hate crime right now is that he basically attacked a Jewish institution. This is a synagogue, it’s clearly marked as a synagogue, he knew it was a synagogue because he attended there previously,” Kenny said. “It’s a hate crime based on his attack of the Jewish synagogue.”

Kenny declined to confirm reports Sohail had visited Chabad houses in New Jersey, and stated he had no criminal record in New York City. In an interview with the New York Times, Sohail’s father denied that his son hated Jewish people, and had told family he planned to convert to Judaism.