The man arrested as the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington was charged on Thursday with two counts of first-degree murder and murder of foreign officials.
Chicago-born Elias Rodriguez, 31, shouted “Free, free Palestine” as he was led away after shooting and killing two Israeli embassy employees outside an event in the US capital on Wednesday, according to court documents.
US citizen Sarah Milgrim and an Israeli-German national Yaron Lischinsky were killed in the attack. The two were a young couple set to become engaged, according to Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter.
After his arrest, Rodriguez told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities said on Thursday as they announced the charges in what they described as a targeted act of terrorism.
Rodriguez appeared in a US federal court in Washington on Thursday but did not enter a plea. Prosecutors said additional charges are likely as they investigate the incident as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism. If convicted, Rodriguez could face the death penalty.
According to an FBI affidavit, Rodriguez flew to Washington from Chicago with a handgun in his checked baggage.
The document said law enforcement has seen and reviewed security footage showing Rodriguez first walking past the victims — who were part of a group of four people —outside the museum, then turning, pulling a firearm and shooting them in the back.
One of the victims fell to the ground, while the other, identified as Milgrim, tried to crawl away from him. He approached both and fired several more times, according to the affidavit.
Witnesses say he entered the building visibly distressed after the attack, prompting bystanders to help him before realising he was the alleged perpetrator.
The event at the Capital Jewish Museum was dedicated to helping Gazans, organisers said.
The killings prompted Israeli embassies around the world to increase their security and lower flags to half-staff and caused a slew of condemnations from world leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.
