Suspect in shooting of Israel embassy couple faces hate crime and murder charges
Prosecutors officially charged a suspect in the deadly shooting of two staff of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC in May with hatred crimes and first degree murder.
With the federal accusation of nine counts against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the United States Ministry has filed legal conclusions which could allow the death penalty in the case.
The prosecutors say that Mr. Rodriguez opened fire on the Yaron Lischinsky couple, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, outside the Jewish museum of the capital before shouting “free Palestine” during his arrest.
The accused – who has been detained in police custody since his arrest – has not yet pleaded in court.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Rodriguez, who is of Chicago, had expressed his support for violence against the Israelis, including in publications on social networks where he would have written: “Death to Israel”.
Prosecutors say he traveled from Chicago to the Washington DC region on May 20 with a handgun.
They say that Mr. Rodriguez looked for an event on May 21 at Capital Jewish Museum. Prosecutors claim to have bought a ticket for the event, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee assisted by the two victims.
The event was described as a networking opportunity to bring together young Jewish professionals and the diplomatic community.
While Mr. Lischinsky and Ms. Milgrim left the museum, the attacker would have fired 20 shots and declared to the police on the scene: “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said that Mr. Lischinsky had just bought a engagement ring and planned to offer Ms. Milgrim next week in Jerusalem.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Rodriguez wrote a document entitled “Explanation” in which he expressed his support for Palestine and said that Israel was trying to exterminate the Palestinians.
In the accusation documents, the prosecutors also detailed Mr. Rodriguez’s admissibility to the death penalty, including that he was over 18 years old and that he would have killed the victims after substantial planning.
