Source: US FBI
WASHINGTON – Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was charged in an indictment unsealed yesterday with additional federal and local murder offenses in connection with the May 21, 2025, fatal shootings of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Rodriguez previously was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition, he had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder under the D.C. criminal code.
The indictment adds two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death and two local counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Multiple charges in the indictment carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. At a later date, the Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty.
“This office will leave no stone unturned in its effort to bring justice to the innocent victims of Elias Rodriguez,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The hate charges shed further light on his evil intent in the killing of innocent victims.”
Joining in the announcement were Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.
“This Justice Department will not tolerate violence motivated by hatred of faith or national origin, and we will enforce our federal civil rights laws accordingly,” said Assistant Attorney General Dhillon.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez made multiple statements prior to the slayings in which he advocated for violence against Israelis.
On May 20, 2025, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington D.C. with a Heckler and Koch VP9 SK 9mm semi-automatic handgun packed in his luggage.
The same day, he allegedly authored a manifesto that he called “Explication,” in which he argued for the “morality of armed demonstration” and wrote that “[t]hose of us against the genocide take satisfaction in arguing that the perpetrators and abettors have forfeited their humanity.”
On May 21, 2025, Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the “Young Diplomats Reception” sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Capital Jewish Museum (CJM) located at 575 3rd Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim, C.S., and A.T., were employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., who attended the reception at the CJM. Yaron Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen who was in the United States on official business. Sarah Milgrim, C.S., and A.T. were United States citizens.
Rodriguez allegedly approached the victims after they walked out of the CJM and fired approximately 20 shots using the 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he had transported from Chicago. After the victims fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, including as one attempted to crawl away. Multiple shots struck Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, killing them. During the shooting, the defendant allegedly called out, “Free Palestine.”
Moments after the shooting, Rodriguez entered the CJM, where several event attendees were still present., displayed a red keffiyeh and allegedly said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
Police removed Rodriguez from the CJM. As he was taken away, Rodriguez yelled at event attendees who had remained inside CJM, “shame on you” and “shame on Zio-nazi terror.”
Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun and 20 spent shell casings at the scene.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with assistance from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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