A UK lawmaker says he’s quitting Parliament after death threats and an arson attack

LONDON (AP) — A Conservative lawmaker says he will step down when an election is called later this year because of abuse and death threats. Mike Freer has linked the abuse to his support for Israel. Freer represents a London constituency which has a large Jewish population. He says he has received death threats from a group called Muslims Against Crusades. He began wearing a stab-proof vest after learning his office had been staked out by an Islamic State group supporter who murdered another lawmaker. Freer said Thursday that an arson attack on his office was the “final straw.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson called the abuse and threats “an attack on British democracy.”