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Man Accused in Capital Jewish Museum Shooting Now Faces Terrorism Charges
WASHINGTON D.C. – The man already facing hate crime and murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a young couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum last May has now been hit with multiple terrorism offenses.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was charged in a 13-count superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
The charges include four counts of terrorism while armed, along with a federal aggravating factor for substantial planning and premeditation to commit an act of terrorism, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro.
Rodriguez was previously indicted for the May 21 shooting deaths of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, both staffers for the Israeli embassy. He pleaded not guilty to all counts during an arraignment in September on the initial indictment.
Several of the charges now filed against Rodriguez carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment, Pirro’s office stated.
“My office will not rest in our efforts to hold Elias Rodriguez accountable for this horrific, and targeted act of terror against Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim and our Jewish community,” Pirro said in a statement. “These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror.”
Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, was in the U.S. on official business as an employee of the Government of Israel working for the Israeli Embassy at the time of the shooting. Milgrim, from Overland Park, Kansas, was also employed by the Israeli Embassy.
Officials stated the couple was due to be engaged before the tragic incident. Two other individuals were injured in the shooting.
Prosecutors allege that Rodriguez approached the victims as they were leaving a reception at the museum and fired approximately 20 rounds from a semi-automatic handgun, reportedly shouting “Free Palestine.” After the shooting, Rodriguez allegedly stated, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,” according to the superseding indictment.