The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy at a Jewish event in Washington, D.C. has been charged with the murder of foreign officials.
Elias Rodriguez, of Chicago, told officers from the Metropolitan Police Department at the scene: “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” according to an arrest affidavit seen by The Independent.
Rodriguez, 30, also faces charges of causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, as well as two additional charges of first-degree murder in Washington, D.C.
According to witnesses, Rodriguez chanted “free, free Palestine” following the shooting, which occurred at 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
The two victims have been named as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his partner, Sarah Milgrim, 26.
According to witnesses, Rodriguez had been pacing outside the museum, which was hosting an event to help citizens in Gaza. As the young couple left the event Rodriguez walked past them, turned, and allegedly shot them in the back, according to the affidavit.
He was captured on surveillance video extending both his arms in the direction of Lischinsky and Milgrim and firing several times, “as indicated by the muzzle flashes,” the affidavit noted.
After both fell to the ground Rodriguez walked up to them and fired several more times. Milgrim had attempted to crawl away but Rodriguez had reloaded the gun and fired at her yet again, the documents said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar first identified the victims late on Wednesday. Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,” the embassy said in a statement. “The entire embassy staff [are] heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss.”
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the young couple was about to be engaged, saying Lischinsky had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem.
“The ironic part is that we were worried for our daughter’s safety in Israel,” Robert Milgrim said of his daughter to The New York Times. “But she [Milgrim] was murdered three days before going.”
The pair had been attending an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum, described online as a “Young Diplomats Reception.” The event was intended to bring together young Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45.
According to the affidavit, Rodriguez flew from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to the Reagan National Airport on Tuesday, according to United Airlines records. He declared his firearm in his checked baggage and flew with it across state lines.
The attack is being seen by officials in Israel and the U.S. as the latest in a growing wave of antisemitism after Israel ramped up its offensive in the Gaza Strip. President Donald Trump has condemned the “horrible” D.C. killings, and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting. “We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
