Man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges

Man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted

A man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. has been indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - A man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. has been indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

The federal indictment, filed in the District, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. It also includes special findings that will allow the Justice Department 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 Jeanine Ferris Pirro in a statement. "The hate charges shed further light on his evil intent in the killing of innocent victims."

"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," added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon.

Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left the museum following an event in May. Witnesses said he shouted "Free Palestine" while being taken into custody, and later told police, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," according to federal authorities.

Jeanine Pirro says Antisemitism caused Capital Jewish Museum murders

Jeanine Pirro announced that the shooter in the Capital Jewish Museum murders will be charged with a hate crime and that the cause of the murders is antisemitism.

Rodriguez was previously charged with murdering foreign officials and other offenses. Prosecutors added the hate crime charges after presenting the case to a grand jury, meaning they’ll now have to prove he was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to get engaged.

Prosecutors say the attack was calculated and planned. Rodriguez flew from Chicago to the Washington area with a handgun in his checked luggage, then bought a ticket for the Capital Jewish Museum event about three hours before it began, according to court documents.

Rodriguez’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Hate crime charges in deadly Israeli Embassy staffers shooting

Witnesses said Rodriguez paced outside the museum before approaching a group of four and opening fire. Surveillance footage shows him moving toward Lischinsky and Milgrim as they collapsed, leaning over and firing again. He appeared to reload before jogging away, according to officials. Court documents say he fired approximately 20 shots using the 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

After the shooting, Rodriguez walked into the museum and said he "did it," according to authorities.

"I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed," Rodriguez said, according to court documents. He also told detectives he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, calling him "courageous" and a "martyr."

Elias Rodriguez faces the following charges:

Murder of a foreign official
Causing death through the use of a firearm
Discharging a firearm during a crime of violence
Two counts of first-degree murder under the D.C. criminal code
Two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death
Two local counts of assault with intent to kill while armed

The Source: Information in this article comes from The Associated Press, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and previous FOX 5 reporting.

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