‘Jack the Ripper’ identity revealed as 23-year-old Jewish Polish immigrant

LONDON, (KBSI)— A Finnish molecular biologist and a self-described “armchair detective” claim to have identified Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who terrorized London’s East End in 1888.

According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, Aaron Kosminski, a 23-year-old Jewish Polish immigrant, was the killer. Kosminski lived in the East End at the time of the murders and was later committed to an insane asylum, where he died.

The claims are based on DNA analysis of a stained shawl purportedly belonging to Catherine Eddowes, one of the victims. Dr. Jari Louhelainen, the molecular biologist, used a technique called “vacuuming” to remove DNA from the shawl.

The DNA was matched to a descendant of Kosminski’s sister, with one strand showing a 99.2 percent match and the other a perfect match. Louhelainen said the DNA suggested the killer was of Russian Jewish ancestry with dark hair.

However, experts have cast doubt on the claims, citing concerns about the shawl’s provenance and the reliability of the DNA match. Sir Alec Jeffreys, who invented DNA fingerprinting, called the research “interesting but remarkable” and said it needed peer review.

Despite the doubts, Jeffreys noted that Kosminski was long considered a prime suspect in the case.