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Israeli embassy staff killed: Suspect charged with first-degree murder
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
- PUBLISHED: Fri 23 May 2025, 10:03 AM
A Chicago-born man arrested as the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of a pair of Israel embassy workers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington was charged on Thursday in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, 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.
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Officials said he was heard chanting "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody.
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In addition to first-degree murder, Rodriguez was charged in a criminal complaint with murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.
The charges were filed in federal court as FBI and police investigators pored over apparent writings and political affiliations of the suspect.
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.
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 a mile (2 km) from the White House.
"Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offence," Smith said, adding that he had had no previous contact with police.
Witness Katie Kalisher, 29, said she was among people in the museum who were chatting to a man who entered looking very scared after gunshots were heard outside when he suddenly pulled out a keffiyeh scarf.
'I did it for Gaza'
"He says, 'I did it. I did it for Gaza, free, free Palestine.' And he's chanting this. And then suddenly the police come in and they arrest him," said Kalisher, a jewelry designer.
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 organized 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 organization 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.
Rodriguez was born and reared in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with an English degree, the deleted page said. He previously worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial technology firms, the page said.