Elias Rodriguez, Who Killed Israeli Embassy Staff, Has History Of Political Activism
Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in DC, has a history of political activism. Multiple interviews and writings linked to the suspect hinted at his stand on US military actions and police abuses.
According to a testimonial on a GoFundMe page from 2017, which also featured a photograph of Rodriguez, the shooting suspect said his father was deployed to Iraq when he was just 11. This allegedly sparked his political awakening and made him prevent "another generation of Americans coming home from genocidal imperialist wars," CNN reported.
The Army National Guard has confirmed the identity of the person, saying Rodriguez's father was a member from 2005 until 2012. He was deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to September 2007.
Created in August 2017, the page sought donations for Rodriguez to help him attend the People's Congress of Resistance, an anti-Donald Trump protest event, the report added.
After his arrest, police said that Rodriguez had no prior criminal record.
The suspect was also involved with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, according to reports.
Also under investigation is a letter shared on X soon after the killings.
The letter, apparently signed by Rodriguez, calls for violent retaliation over the situation in Gaza.
This account, @kyotoleather, has been found to be linked to several others having Rodriguez's name and photograph.
Posted on X at around 10 PM (local time) on May 21, the letter criticises the atrocities "committed by the Israelis against Palestine". It further calls for an "armed action" as a valid form of protest.
As of now, it remains unclear who shared it on the social media platform or whether it was a pre-scheduled post.
On Wednesday, the 31-year-old took out a gun and shot dead Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. When detained, he yelled, "Free, free Palestine".
The couple was leaving a Jewish event when the suspect approached a group of four and suddenly started firing at close range.
A complaint was filed in the federal court on Thursday, May 22, charging Rodriguez with murder, besides other counts.
Rodriguez told the police that he was inspired by a US airman, who set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC last year to draw attention to the Benjamin Netanyahu government's war on Gaza. Rodriguez called the US airman a "martyr," according to CNN.
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