Suspect of murdering two Israeli embassy staff in DC
Elias Rodriguez faces multiple charges, including murder, as he allegedly shot two Israeli embassy staff at the Jewish Museum, DC’s capital.
WASHINGTON – The suspect accused of bombarding two embassy staff at the Israeli embassy outside a Washington museum in May was charged with federal hate crimes and murder, according to court documents sealed on August 6.
The nine indictments filed in federal court in Washington have returned against 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who accused him of committing a deadly hate crime motivated by “anyone’s actual, perceived country of origin.” Rodriguez is also facing first-degree murder and murder of a foreigner.
The indictment includes special findings that will allow Rodriguez to be subject to the death penalty if convicted. The indictment by the Federal University Ju trial comes before he appears in court scheduled for August 8th in the Rodriguez case.
Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting 30-year-old Jaron Lisinski and 26-year-old Sarah Lynn Milgrim. They left the May 21 event for young professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum, hosted by the American Jewish Commission. The American Jewish Commission is an advocacy group that fights anti-Semitism when they are killed and supports Israel.
According to the criminal charges, Rodriguez told police at the scene, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.” Witnesses said they heard him chant “Free Palestine.”
He has not yet resorted to previous charges. This includes causing death with firearms and abandoning firearms for violent crimes.
The murder in downtown Washington was widely condemned as an anti-Semitic act and shook the Jewish community around the world. Janine Piro, Washington’s top federal prosecutor, said the shooting was investigated as a hate crime in May, and the charges could be subject to the death penalty.
The indictment alleges that the suspect had a history of violent rhetoric against Israelis.
The indictment claims that Rodriguez is an Israeli person, targeting the couple, and that the suspect had a history of violent rhetoric online against the Israeli people.
Before the shooting, he had planned to release it later that night in a document claiming that the perpetrators of Israeli military operations in Gaza and Abetta had “confiscated their humanity.”
Born and raised in Chicago, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to the Washington area the day before the shooting. He was seen walking around outside the museum, more than a mile from the White House shortly before the shooting, police said.
Surveillance video footage shows Rodriguez fired around 20 rounds at Lysinski and Milgrim, and after they fell to the ground they craped and sat down, then leaned against them to fire several more rounds, according to the FBI affidavit of the criminal charges. The gunman said he stopped to reload before resuming the fire.
He then threw a gun, retreated to the museum, called himself attention as a suspect, pulled out a red Palestinian-style kefier scarf, and declared that he had “did it” before being arrested there.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward, Editing by Scott Malone)
