Suspect in Israeli embassy killings charged in US
A US federal court has charged a man suspected of two counts of first-degree murder in the attack that killed two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., acting U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press briefing.
"We will continue to investigate this as a hate crime and as a crime of terrorism," Pirro told reporters.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, is accused of opening fire on two people on the evening of May 21 as they left an event for young professionals and diplomats organized by the American Jewish Committee, a human rights group that combats anti-Semitism and supports Israel.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez told police at the scene that he "did it for Palestine and for Gaza."
In addition to first-degree murder, Rodriguez is also charged with murder of foreign officials, causing death by firearm, and use of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime.
During the first court hearing on Thursday, Rodriguez waived his right to a custody hearing. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for June 18.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the investigation is "aware of certain works allegedly written by the suspect."
On the evening of May 21, a post from an anonymous account appeared on social media, which, as confirmed by The New York Times , belongs to Rodriguez.
It, under the title "Escalation for Gaza, Bringing the War Home," criticized the Israeli and US governments, as well as the actions of the Israeli military against Palestinians.
Elias Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018 with a BA in English.
The man criticized officials and claimed to be affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). However, after the shooting in Washington, the PSL stated that Rodriguez was not a member of the party.
"We reject any attempt to link the PSL to the shooting in Washington. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. He had a brief connection with one of the PSL chapters, which ended in 2017. We are not aware of any contact with him in over seven years. We have no connection to this shooting and do not support it," the statement said.
Local media reports in 2018 mentioned Elias Rodriguez as a member of the Chicago chapter of the national organization ANSWER – an acronym for "Act Now to Stop War and End Racism".
This group organized solidarity actions with the Palestinians.
At the time of his arrest, Rodriguez worked for a nonprofit health care organization, the American Osteopathic Information Association. In a statement, the organization confirmed his employment and expressed condolences to the victims, the journalists noted.
- On May 22, US Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noem reported that two employees of the Israeli Embassy were shot dead in Washington on the evening of May 21.
- US President Trump condemned the attack, saying that "the killings in Washington are clearly based on anti-Semitism."
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been instructed to strengthen security at Israel's diplomatic missions around the world and for representatives of the state.
- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Rubio, and Macron reacted to the murder of Israeli embassy employees and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.