man-who-killed-israeli-diplomats-in-us-says-he-did-it-for-gaza

Elias Rodriguez, the man who shot dead two Israeli diplomats in Washington, has been charged with murder, with his confession saying he did it for the “Palestinians and Gaza,” said the court document, filed on Thursday by the police.

 

Rodriguez killed YaronLischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night. Lischinsky and Milgrim were a couple, and Lischinsky was planning to propose in Jerusalem next week. The US Justice Department said that Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as other charges, including the murder of foreign officials. 

 

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The perpetrator allegedly shouted, “Free Palestine,” said the cop who filed the initial complaint. The document said police reviewed security footage showing Rodriguez walking past the victims outside the museum, then turning, pulling a firearm from his waistband, and shooting them in their backs. The reports on Thursday confirmed that the shooter fired several rounds at Milgrim while she was trying to escape to Rodriguez before she finally collapsed on the ground. 

 

Investigators recovered 21 empty shell casings and a 9mm handgun from the scene that matched a firearm Rodriguez purchased in Illinois in 2020. He flew from Chicago to Virginia with the firearm in his checked baggage, the affidavit said. He had declared the firearm for the flight. 

 

Rodriguez, during the investigation, revealed that he admired Aaron Bushnell, an anti-Israel activist who self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy last year in protest, calling Bushnell a “martyr.” He also told police that he bought the ticket three hours before the opening of the event.

 

“This brutal, antisemitic violence has no place in our country or anywhere in civilisation,” said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi, adding, "We will follow the facts and secure the most severe possible punishment for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, which robbed two wonderful young people of a bright future together." Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with an English degree. He previously worked as a content writer for commercial and non-commercial technology firms, the deleted page said.