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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US brings hate crime charges against suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Wednesday brought federal hate crime charges against the suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside a museum in Washington in May, alleging he targeted them because they were Israelis, court papers showed. The nine-count indictment returned against Elias Rodriguez, 31, accuses him of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the "actual and perceived national origin of any person." Rodriguez also faces charges of first-degree murder and murder of a foreign official. The indictment also includes special findings that would make Rodriguez eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Rodriguez was accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who were about to be engaged to be married. They were leaving a May 21 event for young professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum and hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel, when they were killed. Rodriguez told police at the scene: 'I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,' according to a criminal complaint. Witnesses recounted hearing him chant "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody. He has not yet entered a plea to the prior charges, which also include causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. The killings in downtown Washington were widely condemned as an act of antisemitism and shook Jewish communities around the world. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington said in May that the shooting would be investigated as a hate crime and the charges could carry the death penalty. The indictment by a federal grand jury comes ahead of a scheduled court appearance in Rodriguez's case on Friday. It alleges Rodriguez had a history of violent rhetoric online against Israelis, including a plea to "vaporize every Israeli 18 and above." Before the shooting, he scheduled a social media post to publish later that night with a document arguing that perpetrators and abettors of Israel's military actions in Gaza had "forfeited their humanity," according to the indictment. Rodriguez, who was born and raised in Chicago, flew to the Washington area from Chicago the day before the shooting. He was seen pacing outside the museum, little more than a mile (1.6 km) from the White House, shortly before the shooting, police said. Surveillance video footage showed Rodriguez firing about 20 rounds at Lischinsky and Milgrim, then leaning over them to fire several more rounds 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. The gunman paused to reload, then resumed firing, it said. He then tossed away his gun, retreated into the museum and was arrested there after calling attention to himself as the suspect, pulling out a red Palestinian-style keffiyeh scarf and declaring that he "did it," the affidavit said. REUTERS
RTÉ News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Suspect in Israeli embassy staff shooting charged with murder
The lone suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington has been with two counts of first-degree murder. Elias Rodriguez, 31, is accused of opening fire on a group of people on Wednesday night as they left an event for young professionals and diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights anti-Semitism and supports Israel. Mr 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 were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and 26-year-old Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who were about to become engaged to be married. After the shooting, Israeli embassies around the world immediately stepped up security. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Mr 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 the complaint against Mr Rodriguez constitutes a "death penalty-eligible case." "We are going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and as a crime of terrorism," Ms Pirro told reporters. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier that the suspect was believed to have acted alone. At his first appearance in court yesterday, Mr Rodriguez waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing in the case was set for 18 June. He said little during the proceeding except to answer, "I do" to questions from a federal magistrate judge about whether he understood his rights. The charges were filed as FBI and police investigators pored over apparent writings and political affiliations of the suspect. According to the FBI affidavit, the suspect flew to the Washington area from Chicago on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, he was seen pacing outside the museum, little more than 2km from the White House, shortly before the shooting, police said. Surveillance video footage showed Rodriguez firing several times at Mr Lischinsky and Ms Milgrim, then leaning over them to fire several more rounds 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. The gunman paused to reload, then resumed firing, it said. He then tossed away his gun, retreated into the museum and was arrested there after calling attention to himself as the suspect, pulling out a red Palestinian-style keffiyeh scarf and declaring that he "did it," the affidavit said. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun that he had purchased in Illinois five years ago, 21 spent shell casings and a firearm magazine at the scene, according to the complaint. 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. Mr Bongino's statement appeared to refer to a manifesto signed with Mr Rodriguez's name that was posted to an anonymous X account on Wednesday night shortly before the shooting. Mr Rodriguez was once involved 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 Mr Rodriguez had a brief association with a PSL branch that ended in 2017 and was unaware of any further contact with him in more than seven years. "We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it," the organisation said. Mr 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. At the time of his arrest, Mr Rodriguez worked at the healthcare non-profit American Osteopathic Information Association, the organisation confirmed in a statement expressing sympathy for the victims. He had also worked as an oral history researcher at The History Makers, a non-profit 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. Mr Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in English. President Trump condemned the shooting. "These horrible D.C. 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 anti-Semitic murderer." "We are witness to the terrible cost of the anti-Semitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel," he said on X, adding that both "must be fought to the utmost."
