The individual suspected of targeting two Israeli Embassy employees after an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. this past May is set to face federal hate crime charges, as FOX News has discovered.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago is accused of shooting and killing Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim on May 21, 2025.
Rodriguez is believed to have committed the act alone, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Details regarding the new charges against Rodriguez are pending public release. A federal court hearing on Friday will provide more insight into the nature of his alleged offenses.
Security personnel guard the Israeli Embassy, May 22, in Washington, D.C., after a fatal shooting incident involving embassy staffers. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
He then entered the museum where he was detained by event security. While in custody, he yelled “Free, free Palestine!” Smith said.
The night of the incident, the diplomats were shot at close range during an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event at the museum.
Intended for young Jewish professionals active in foreign policy, the event featured a discussion highlighting humanitarian solutions for Gaza.
The Israeli Embassy said Lischinsky and Milgrim were “in the prime of their lives.”
“Tonight, a terrorist attacked and killed them as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The entire embassy team is shattered by their deaths,” the embassy stated in a message on X. “Our grief and shock are beyond words due to this tragic event. We extend our sympathies to their families, and the embassy will support them during this trying time.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, said the two victims were dating and on the verge of engagement. Leiter said the man had just purchased a ring “with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”
