DOJ Charges Elias Rodriguez With Terrorism in Killing of Israeli Diplomats

The U.S. Justice Department has charged Elias Rodriguez with terrorism in the killing of two Israeli Embassy employees outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum last year, formally reclassifying the attack as an act of terror under U.S. law.

Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, now faces a 13-count indictment after prosecutors added four terrorism charges under Washington, D.C., law, along with a separate federal allegation that the attack involved substantial planning and premeditation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The new charges significantly increase Rodriguez’s potential sentence. The terrorism counts under D.C. law carry mandatory life imprisonment, while several of the federal charges allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty or life in prison.

“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,” said Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Rodriguez was previously charged with murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, two federal hate crime counts resulting in death, and multiple counts of first-degree premeditated murder and assault with intent to kill while armed under D.C. law.

The May 21, 2025, attack took place as victims were leaving a Young Diplomats Reception at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez fired approximately 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun and shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack.

The two people killed were Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, both employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen who was in the United States on official government business. Milgrim was from Overland Park, Kansas. Officials said the two were planning to become engaged.

The Justice Department said two surviving victims also worked for the Israeli Embassy. Their conditions were not detailed in the indictment.

Prosecutors allege Rodriguez fired approximately 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun, shouting “Free Palestine,” before entering the museum, where he displayed a red keffiyeh and said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”

Federal authorities said the new terrorism charges are supported by evidence of ideological motivation and planning. Darren B. Cox, the FBI assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, said Rodriguez wrote and published a manifesto in an effort to justify the killings and encourage further violence.

“In addition to allegedly murdering two innocent people and terrorizing the survivors of his attack at the Capital Jewish Museum, Rodriguez wrote and published a manifesto attempting to morally justify his actions and inspire others to commit political violence,” Cox said. “His alleged actions warrant the additional terrorism charges being announced today.”

Israeli officials strongly condemned the attack at the time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the killings were a direct result of antisemitic incitement.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement. He added that he ordered increased security at Israeli missions worldwide following the shooting.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has also said federal prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty in the case, calling the killings a clear act of antisemitism and saying prosecutors will pursue capital punishment.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.