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CNA
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Suspect charged with murder in fatal DC shooting of two Israel embassy aides
WASHINGTON: A Chicago-born man arrested as the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington was charged on Thursday (May 22) in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder in a killing widely condemned as an act of antisemitism. Elias Rodriguez, 31, is accused of opening fire on a group of people on Wednesday night as they left an event for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. Rodriguez told police on the scene, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza", according to the charging documents. Witnesses recounted hearing him chant "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody. The two victims struck by gunfire and killed were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, a young couple about to become engaged to be married. Friends and members of advocacy groups they belonged to said the pair were committed to building bridges between Arabs and Jews in hopes of ending bloodshed in the Middle East. After the shooting, Israeli embassies around the world immediately stepped up security. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Rodriguez was charged in a six-page criminal complaint with murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. Interim US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, newly appointed by President Donald Trump as the top federal prosecutor in Washington, said at a news briefing that the complaint against Rodriguez constitutes a "death penalty-eligible case". At his first appearance in court on Thursday, the suspect waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing in the case was set for Jun 18, Pirro said. The charges were filed in federal court as FBI and police investigators pored over apparent writings and political affiliations of the suspect. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted on social media that investigators were "aware of certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect" and hoped to soon have updates regarding their authenticity. Bongino's statement appeared to refer to a manifesto signed with Rodriguez's name that was posted to an anonymous X account on Wednesday night shortly before the shooting. Posted with the title "Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home", it condemned Israel's killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, and discussed the morality of "armed" action. "In the wake of an act people look for a text to fix its meaning so here's an attempt," the document read. "The atrocities committed by Israelis against Palestine defy description and defy quantification." FBI Director Kash Patel called the bloodshed an "act of terror," although US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that authorities believe the suspect acted alone. Israel has faced sustained international condemnation for its escalating Gaza military offensive, while Jewish advocacy groups have warned of a rise in antisemitic incidents globally. Investigators also delved into apparent political affiliations of the suspect, who worked for a healthcare nonprofit and was believed to have had past ties to far-left groups. According to an account by Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting, little more than 2km from the White House. Video footage from the scene showed Rodriguez firing several times at the victims, then firing several more rounds at them after they fell to the ground and after Milgrim tried to crawl away and sat up, according to an FBI affidavit in the criminal complaint, "Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon," Smith said. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun, 21 spent shell casings and a firearm magazine at the scene, according to the complaint. SUSPECT'S BACKGROUND Rodriguez was once affiliated with a far-left group in Chicago, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, according to a post from the group on X. The group said that Rodriguez had a brief association with a PSL branch that ended in 2017 and that they knew of no contact with him in more than seven years. "We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it," the organisation said. Rodriguez was also identified in a 2018 local news report as a member of the Chicago branch of a national group called ANSWER, an acronym for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, which has organised demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians. ANSWER did not immediately respond to email and phone messages. Rodriguez worked at the healthcare nonprofit American Osteopathic Information Association, the organisation confirmed in a statement expressing sympathy for the victims. "We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime," the statement said. He had also worked as an oral history researcher at The HistoryMakers, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving African American stories, according to a now-deleted biography on the group's website, and was a content writer for technology firms. Rodriguez was born and reared in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2018 with an English degree. Trump condemned the shooting. "These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" he said in a message on Truth Social. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his heart ached for the families of the victims, "whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer". We are witness to the terrible cost of the antisemitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel," he said on X, adding that both "must be fought to the utmost." The shooting is likely to fuel polarisation in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Conservative supporters of Israel led by Trump have branded pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted demonstrations.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
New York City's Jewish community in shock over killing of Israeli embassy employees
New York City's Jewish community came together Thursday to mourn the loss of two Israeli embassy employees shot dead as they left an event in Washington, D.C. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were killed leaving the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night in what officials are calling a targeted attack. Officials say the suspect shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being taken into custody. "It just hurts" With so many ties between Washington and New York, hearts are heavy here. A sign reading "I am proud to be a Jew" hangs in bright lights outside Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side. The rabbi told his community the sign will stay up and support will be constant. This undated handout photo provided by the embassy of Israel in the U.S. shows staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky, right, and U.S. citizen Sarah Milgrim, who were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington. Embassy of Israel in the US / AP "It just hurts," Maskit Matityahu said. "There's such a small percentage of us in the world." Matityahu said just last month she was at an American Jewish Committee event in New York and victim Sarah Milgrim was there. "It was numbing, to have such a bright personality, just having fun, celebrating her Judaism and who she is, and then hearing headlines about how she's gone," Matityahu said. "We cannot color code hatred" Ofir Akunis, consul general for Israel in New York, says the assassination is a wake-up call for all that words can escalate to violence. "When people are saying 'globalize the intifada,' my American friends must know that intifada is destruction, and they are saying death to America," Akunis said. At an interfaith vigil, New York City Mayor Eric Adams echoed that sentiment. "We have heard so many people claim these protests aren't antisemitic, they're just anti-Israel. We cannot color code hatred. Today's proof of what I have been saying the whole time - they are one and the same, and they must stop," Adams said. "We shouldn't be afraid" Greg Ferenstein attended the event in Washington but left before the shooting. "It was a normal, D.C., chill, networking event. No one thought much of anything," Ferenstein said. "Do I feel a little hesitant to go out around other Jewish events ... there are now discussions in groups about how we are managing our safety as Jews in D.C." People CBS News New York spoke with said this is a reason to embrace their identity even more, not shy away from it. "We should maybe even show it more, because we shouldn't be afraid. We should be proud," Upper East Side resident Menucha Wilhelm said. "We need to continue showing our Jewish pride because once you do, then people who are not Jewish are going to show their pride for you, too," Upper East Side resident Yair Klyman said.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Guy Benson Weighs in on SHOCKING D.C. Murders of Two Israel Embassy Staffers
While Ben Domenech joined the Guy Benson Show today to guest host, Guy Benson called us on the Guy Benson Show today to weigh in on such a heavy news day out of Washington D.C. While Guy is overseas on a trip to Poland to visit harrowing concentration camp sites and learn about antisemitism pre-WWII Europe, two disturbing target murders of two Israel embassy staffers occurred in his home city of Washington D.C. yesterday evening. Guy brought his thoughts to the show today and condemned pro-Hamas and antisemitic sentiments coming out of the left. Listen to the full segment with Guy and Ben below. Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast below: Dylan Rolfsen
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
EPA Administrator Zeldin 'heartbroken' after shooting of Israel embassy staffer he met just two weeks ago
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin had just met with one of the slain Israeli Embassy staffers earlier in May, posting to social media Thursday that he is "heartbroken" over her tragic shooting by a "Jew-hating radical." Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staffers of the Embassy of Israel to the United States — a couple set to be engaged — were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night. Zeldin posted to X Thursday afternoon that he had met Milgrim, who was an American employee of the embassy, two weeks ago in his office. "I just met Sarah two weeks ago in my office at EPA HQ," Zeldin posted. "She struck me as a young woman filled with life and positivity." "Heartbroken to learn she was one of two tragically murdered last night by a Jew-hating radical screaming 'Free Palestine,'" he continued. "May Sarah and Yaron rest in peace." Zeldin shared a smiling photo of himself and Milgrim from the day they met. Milgrim and Lischinsky were killed as they left the museum's event focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza. Lischinsky was born in Israel and grew up in Germany. His father is Jewish and his mother is Christian. Authorities took Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, into custody. Upon being taken into custody, Rodriguez began shouting: "Free, free Palestine." The FBI is investigating the incident as "an act of terror."
The National
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Who is Elias Rodriguez, suspected gunman in murders of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington?
Police detained Elias Rodriguez following a shooting on Wednesday night near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington that left two Israeli embassy staffers dead. Israel's Foreign Ministry named the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, who worked in the embassy's political department, and his partner Sara Milgram of the public diplomacy department. The museum was hosting the 'AJC Access Young Diplomats Reception', organised by the American Jewish Committee, aimed at 'fostering unity' among young Jewish professionals and the diplomatic community. Mr Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before approaching a group of people and opening fire. "Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence," Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, said in a post on social media. Mr Rodriguez is a resident of the Albany Park neighbourhood in Chicago, Illinois. According to NBC's Chicago affiliate, early on Thursday several FBI agents were seen entering an address in the city linked to the suspected gunman. He is believed to be 30 years old. After the shooting, he walked into the museum, where he was detained by event security. As he was being arrested, he shouted "free, free Palestine". Mr Rodriguez was once linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation – a far-left group that often makes pro-Palestine posts on social media. The group, however, rejected attempts to associate it with the shooting, saying that that Mr Rodriguez was only briefly associated with the group and left in 2017. A LinkedIn profile believed to belong to Mr Rodriguez shows he was employed by the American Osteopathic Information Association as a profiles administrative specialist. "We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime," American Osteopathic Association president Teresa Hubka and chief executive Kathleen Creason said. "As a physician organisation dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without fear of violence."
