The individual accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy employees outside the Capital Jewish Museum last Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., has been tied to the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which commended the October 7, 2023, terror attack shortly after it occurred.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, faces charges including two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, and several firearm-related offenses. The Department of Justice is considering whether to pursue the death penalty in this matter. Rodriguez reportedly traveled from his home in Chicago, Illinois, to commit the alleged crime.
The incident took place amidst an American Jewish Committee event on the night of May 21, aimed at bringing together Jewish professionals and members of the diplomatic community.
Yaron Lischinsky, 31, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, both died after the shooting. Lischinsky and Milgrim were engaged. Both individuals were employed by the Israeli Embassy.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim pose for a picture at an unknown location, in this handout image released by Israeli Embassy to the U.S. on May 22, 2025. They were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. (Embassy of Israel to the USA via X/Handout via Reuters)
In the hours after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel, the group posted to X, saying that resistance “is not a crime!”
“Resistance to apartheid and fascist-type oppression is not a crime! It is the inevitable outcome for all people who demand self-determination rather than living with the boot-heel of the oppressors on their necks,” the group said.
PSL STATEMENT: Resistance to apartheid and fascist-type oppression is not a crime! It is the inevitable outcome for all people who demand self-determination rather than living with the boot-heel of the oppressors on their necks.
READ FULL STATEMENT HERE: https://t.co/Ju3v7UTPLL pic.twitter.com/iKlJLQAcej
— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) October 7, 2023
The group went on to say that the Oct. 7, 2023 attack “is a morally and legally legitimate response to occupation.”
In a separate X post on Oct. 8, 2023, the group said, “Palestinian resistance is not terrorism! It is a basic fact of history that any people subjected to occupation will resist that occupation.”
🇵🇸Palestinian resistance is not terrorism! It is a basic fact of history that any people subjected to occupation will resist that occupation.
🧵What led to yesterday’s courageous counter-offensive?
— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) October 8, 2023
According to the Anti-Defamation League, speakers at rallies held by the Party for Socialism and Liberation after Oct. 7, 2023 praised Hamas and the attack.
“We saw last weekend, the only recourse the Palestinians have left, which is armed resistance, and again, that is their right under international law,” one speaker said at an Oct. 14, 2023 protest in Tampa, Florida.
At an Oct. 8, 2023 protest in Anaheim, California, one person celebrated this “moment where Hamas is taking control, they’re resisting.”
Police officers work at the site where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 21, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
A spokesperson for StandWithUs, an Israel education organization, told Fox News Digital that the Party for Socialism and Liberation should be investigated.
“PSL celebrated the atrocities on October 7 as ‘courageous’ and ‘bold.’ They held a rally where a speaker mocked the Nova Festival massacre. Despite their efforts to distance themselves from the murder of Yaron and Sarah, they should be thoroughly investigated,” the group said.
Former homicide detective and Fox News contributor Ted Williams told Fox News Digital he thinks the incident is a “wake-up call” for law enforcement.
Members of the group Misaskim clean blood off the ground where two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 22, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
“I think law enforcement clearly needs to be far, far more involved in rooting out all these antisemitic groups, sort of like the one that Rodriguez is alleged to have been a part or involved with,” Williams said. “The problem is there’s not a lot of law enforcement officers to go around, unfortunately, to take on these assignments to infiltrate these groups and to try to weed out individuals like Rodriguez.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Party for Socialism and Liberation for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
