The British terrorist who took four people hostage at a Texas reform temple had been investigated by UK intelligence services, but determined not to be a terroristic threat, according to reports Tuesday, the NY Post reports.

Malik Faisal Akram, who had a history of mental illness, was investigated by MI5 “in the second half of 2020” after a tip that he could be a possible Islamist terrorist threat, government sources told the Guardian. It was “closed shortly afterwards with an assessment that there was no indication he presented a terrorist threat at that time,” a government source also told the Telegraph.

Although he was put on a list of Subjects of Interests (SOI), the spy agency concluded that he did not “pass the threshold” for a full-blown investigation, the UK paper said. “There were no grounds for further examination and no basis to prevent him traveling,” a source told the Telegraph.

The revelations come amid alarm that Akram was able to enter the US on a tourist visa given warnings over his mental health as well as his extensive criminal record, the papers noted. His rap sheet dates back to at least 1996, when he was jailed for violent disorder following a baseball bat attack on a member of his extended family, the Telegraph noted. Still, Akram was able to fly from the UK to JFK Airport on Dec. 29, listing his intention to stay in a hotel on Queens Boulevard, sources previously confirmed to The Post.... Read More: NY Post