Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department volition question the decease punishment for the antheral accused of fatally shooting 2 unit members of the Israeli Embassy successful Washington extracurricular a Jewish museum, prosecutors said successful a tribunal filing Friday.

Elias Rodriguez faces national hatred transgression and execution charges successful the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim arsenic they near an lawsuit astatine the depository past May. Rodriguez shouted “Free Palestine” during the shooting and aboriginal told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment.

The charges against Rodriguez see a hatred transgression resulting successful death. The indictment besides includes announcement of peculiar findings, which allows prosecutors to prosecute the decease penalty.

“My connection to anyone who seeks to perpetrate governmental unit successful this territory -- D.C. is not the place. You volition beryllium held accountable and you volition look the afloat wrath of the law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said astatine an unrelated quality league Friday successful which she revealed the Justice Department’s decease punishment decision.

The hatred crimes charges mean prosecutors volition person to beryllium that Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism erstwhile helium opened occurrence connected Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young mates who were astir to go engaged. Milgrim, 26, was a U.S. national and Lischinsky, 30, was an Israeli national moving successful the U.S.

Prosecutors person described the sidesplitting arsenic calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington portion from Chicago up of the May 21 lawsuit astatine the Capital Jewish Museum with a handgun successful his checked luggage.

Witnesses described him pacing extracurricular earlier approaching a radical of 4 radical and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing person to Lischinsky and Milgrim arsenic they fell to the ground, leaning implicit them and firing further shots. He appeared to reload earlier jogging off, officials person said.

After the shooting, authorities accidental Rodriguez went wrong the depository and said, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I americium unarmed,” according to tribunal documents. He besides told detectives that helium admired an active-duty Air Force subordinate who acceptable himself connected occurrence extracurricular the Israeli Embassy successful February 2024, describing the antheral arsenic “courageous” and a “martyr.”

In Friday's tribunal filing, prosecutors said Rodriguez's actions were “motivated by political, ideological, national, and spiritual bias, contempt, and hatred.” He “targeted individuals whom helium perceived to person attended an lawsuit for young Jewish professionals ... to amplify the effect of his crimes,” they wrote.

Attorneys for Rodriguez didn't instantly respond to an email seeking comment. Several weeks earlier Friday's announcement, defence attorneys had a gathering with Justice Department officials wherever they could contiguous grounds that they judge would measurement against seeking the decease punishment successful the case.

The adjacent tribunal quality for Rodriguez is acceptable for June 30. A proceedings day hasn't been scheduled yet.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

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