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The anti-Israel suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli Embassy staffers leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May will be charged with federal hate crimes, FOX News has learned.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago is accused of shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim on May 21, 2025.
Rodriguez is believed to have committed the act alone, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The superseding indictment is not yet filed publicly. Rodriguez has a scheduled hearing in federal court on Friday where more details about his alleged crimes are expected to be revealed.
SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS IN DC COULD FACE MORE CHARGES
Also expected is whether the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek the death penalty.
Lischinsky, an Israeli, and Milgrim, an American, both worked at the embassy. According to the Associated Press, Lischinsky was a research assistant and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel.
D.C. police identified the suspect as Rodriguez, who was taken into custody after the shooting attack. He was allegedly seen pacing outside the museum before he approached a group of four people, including the two victims, and opened fire. Rodriguez then reportedly went into the museum where he was detained by security. He allegedly shouted “Free, free Palestine!” while in custody.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR CONNECTS EMBASSY STAFFERS’ SLAYING TO ‘VERY IMPORTANT’ BIGGER PICTURE
FBI agents are now looking through writings they believe were authored by Rodriguez. In Chicago, state, local and federal agencies are searching his apartment Thursday, police sources told Fox News.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said during a news conference after the incident that officers responded to multiple calls of a shooting near the museum at around 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21.
When authorities arrived at the scene, a man and a woman were found unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, Smith said both were pronounced dead.
Smith said the preliminary investigation shows Rodriguez was allegedly observed pacing back and forth outside the museum before he approached a group of four people exiting the building, including the two victims, and began shooting.
SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDERING ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFF COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY
He then entered the museum where he was detained by event security. While in custody, he yelled “Free, free Palestine!” Smith said.
On the night of the shooting, the two diplomats were shot at close range while an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) was taking place at the museum.
The event was for young Jewish professionals who work in foreign policy and had a panel discussion focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza.
The Israeli Embassy said Lischinsky and Milgrim were “in the prime of their lives.”
“This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder,” the embassy wrote in a post on X. “No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, said the two victims were dating and on the verge of engagement. Leiter said the man had just purchased a ring “with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”
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