Latest news with #German-designed
Sky News AU
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
DC Jewish Museum suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez fired nearly two dozen shots as gunned-down victim tried to crawl away: affidavit, sources
The suspected terrorist who opened fire on two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, unleashed nearly two dozen rounds at the soon-to-be-engaged couple — with victim Sarah Milgrim attempting to crawl away after collapsing to the ground, according to sources and court documents. Elias Rodriguez, 31, was caught on surveillance footage firing several shots at Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Milgrim, 26, before they both collapsed outside the Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday, according to an arrest affidavit. The Chicago native leaned over the bullet-riddled couple and continued firing, then followed Milgrim as she made a desperate attempt to escape, shooting her again, charging documents showed. Rodriguez was seen reloading his weapon before opening fire on Milgrim once more. Law enforcement sources told The Post the alleged maniac fired at least 21 shots during the cold-blooded killings, using a high-end German-designed H&K 9mm pistol – which he purchased years ago. It is unclear how many times the victims were shot. Sources also said the accused assassin — who is well known to Chicago police as a left-wing rabble-rouser at various protests dating back years — flew into the nation's capital on a United Airlines flight, during which he checked and declared the firearm. Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence in federal court on Thursday. He appeared in court wearing a white jumpsuit and told the judge he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the hate-fueled attack — for which he faces multiple life sentences and the death penalty. 'This is a complicated case,' federal prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler said at the end of the hearing, noting that there is a substantial amount of evidence and numerous witnesses tied to the gruesome crime scene. Lischinsky and Milgrim, who worked together out of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, were executed in the street just after 9 p.m. as they left the American Jewish Committee's ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception. Witnesses to the barbaric double slaying described seeing a distressed Rodriguez pacing outside the museum just moments before the gunfire rang out. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, 'Free Palestine,' witnesses and police said, with footage showing the shooter — wearing a suit jacket and slacks — being hauled away in cuffs. Investigators are currently probing a motive behind the horrific antisemitic bloodshed, with cops homing in on a 900-word manifesto bearing Rodriguez's name that started circulating online immediately after his arrest, sources said. Rodriguez is due back in court on June 18 for a preliminary hearing. Originally published as DC Jewish Museum suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez fired nearly two dozen shots as gunned-down victim tried to crawl away: affidavit, sources
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez criticized his Iraq war vet dad, raised money to attend leftist conference
The suspected terrorist charged with fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, talked heaped scorn on his father's military service in Iraq as he tried to raise money to attend a socialist rally in the nation's capital. Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, had been at the center of a small GoFundMe page aimed at getting him to attend a People' Congress of Resistance meeting at Washington in September 2017. The suspect raised money on GoFundMe to attend the Washington D.C. conference in 2017. Gofundme Advertisement Rodriguez was charged with first degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence in federal court on Thursday. Law enforcement sources said Rodriguez used a high end German-designed H&K 9mm pistol in the killings. He had bought the weapon years ago, according to sources. Advertisement View this document on Scribd Sources also said he was well known to Chicago police as a left-wing rabble-rouser at various protests dating back years. Rodriguez yelled 'free Palestine' after the shooting. Katie Kalisher via Storyful In addition to protesting against the war in Gaza, he attended protests against Amazon, and joined rallies for Black Lives Matter and in the case of Laquan McDonald — a teenager who was killed by police in 2014. Advertisement Follow The Post's coverage on Israeli Embassy staffers killed in DC In his plea for travel money, Rodriguez criticized America's invasion of Iraq as a 'genocidal imperialist war,' and scorned his father's service as an Army National Guardsman. 'When my dad came home from Baghdad, he came with souvenirs. One was a magazine pouch with a warning in Arabic to back away or my dad would shoot and kill you,' Rodriguez wrote. Advertisement 'He joked that the print was so small an Iraqi would be dead long before they had a chance to read it. He also gave me a patch of Iraq's national flag, one he ripped off of an Iraqi soldier's uniform because he could. 'I don't want to see another generation of Americans coming home from genocidal imperialist wars with trophies,' the terror suspect added.
Extra.ie
18-05-2025
- General
- Extra.ie
Cork's 'robot trees' removed after years of criticism and high costs
Cork City's much-criticised 'robot trees' have been removed, bringing an end to a four-year saga of controversy, mounting maintenance costs, and persistent questions over their effectiveness. The CityTrees, moss-filled, high-tech air purifiers installed in 2021 – were taken down early this morning from their locations outside Dubray Books on Patrick Street and the City Library on Grand Parade. While the devices are gone, their hexagonal wooden bases remain, continuing to serve as public benches, which many locals have long joked was their most useful function. Billed as sustainable 'moss walls' designed to filter fine dust from the air, the five CityTrees were installed by Cork City Council at a cost of €355,000, funded through a €55 million National Transport Authority scheme aimed at promoting cleaner air and greener transport. The German-designed units were said to clean the equivalent of air breathed by up to 7,000 people per hour. Cork City's much-criticised 'robot trees' have been removed, bringing an end to a four-year saga of controversy, mounting maintenance costs, and persistent questions over their effectiveness. Pic: Cork City Council However, from the outset, the structures were dogged by controversy. In 2023, a University College Cork (UCC) report, commissioned at a cost of €2,500, failed to find conclusive evidence that the devices meaningfully improved air quality, in part due to readings being taken on low-pollution days. Atmospheric scientist Dr. Dean Venables of UCC had previously warned that while the CityTrees might have a limited localised effect, they were unlikely to have any real impact on citywide air quality. Pic: Cork City Council Labour councillor Peter Horgan went further, calling the devices 'the most expensive benches ever purchased by a local authority' and slamming the lack of transparency around their purchase. 'We'd have been far better off planting real trees,' he said, describing the moss machines as 'monstrosities with LED screens.' The annual upkeep of the units added fuel to the fire, costing the council over €17,000 each year. Frustration grew among elected members, who said they were kept in the dark about the decision to purchase the devices, with some resorting to Freedom of Information requests to uncover cost and maintenance details. For now, what's left behind in Cork is not cleaner air, but five pricey wooden platforms, reminders of an ambitious project that never quite took root.
