Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Chicago, has been charged with the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The incident is being investigated as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism. Rodriguez, who shouted "Free, free Palestine" during his arrest, has a history of political activism and expressed admiration for an Air Force member who self-immolated in protest of the war in Gaza.

According to court documents, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington D.C. with a legally purchased gun. Surveillance footage allegedly shows him shooting the couple in the back after they left the museum and then firing repeatedly at them after they fell. Rodriguez reportedly reloaded his weapon and continued firing at Milgrim as she attempted to crawl away. Inside the museum, he told police he "did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed."

The victims, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, both worked at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. Lischinsky, a German-Israeli national, was a research assistant, and Milgrim, an American from Kansas, worked in the public diplomacy department. Lischinsky had planned to propose to Milgrim during a trip to Jerusalem the following week. The Israeli embassy expressed being "heartbroken and devastated" by the deaths.

Rodriguez’s background reveals a history of political activism. He participated in anti-Trump protests, demonstrations against Amazon, and was briefly associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in 2017. Social media accounts linked to Rodriguez show his involvement in pro-Palestinian protest movements. A letter posted on X, apparently signed by Rodriguez, advocates for violent retaliation over the war in Gaza, expressing fury over the “atrocities committed by the Israelis against Palestine.”

Alex Soros, chair of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), condemned the killings, despite his foundation's funding of anti-Israel groups. Critics have pointed out the contradiction, accusing Soros of contributing to anti-Jewish sentiments through his support of organizations that accuse Israel of genocide and call for the end of the Jewish state. Israeli officials have criticized OSF for funding groups like Human Rights Watch and J Street, which they say delegitimize and demonize Israel.

Neighbors of Rodriguez in Chicago expressed shock at his alleged involvement in the shooting. One neighbor mentioned a photo Rodriguez displayed outside his apartment of a Palestinian-American child who was stabbed to death in 2023. The event at the Capital Jewish Museum, where the victims had been, was a networking opportunity for Jewish young professionals and the diplomatic community, themed around “turning pain into purpose.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack as an antisemitic murder, linking it to incitement by European leaders and the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The FBI is investigating the attack as a hate crime and act of terrorism. Rodriguez faces charges of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. He could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.