‘Did it for Palestine, did it for Gaza’: Court papers on Washington’s Israeli embassy shooting accused
The man, who was accused of shooting two staff members at the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, told officials that he had committed the act for Gaza and Palestine, reported news agency Associated Press.
The Israeli embassy in Washington witnessed the shooting of the two people outside a Jewish Museum.(AFP)
Elias Rodriguez, 31, shouted “Free Palestine,” and said “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” as he was being arrested, after the embassy in the national capital of the US was attacked on Wednesday night by him, right outside a Jewish museum.
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Rodriguez faces charges for the murder of foreign officials and other crimes, as Israel amps up its offensive against Gaza. Additional charges are likely as the police investigate the incident as a hate crime against the Jewish community.
He also told the officials that he was inspired by an Air Force member who had self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy in February 2024, whom he described as “courageous” and a “martyr.”
Following the attack, Israeli missions in the country have beefed up security and lowered their flags to half-staff.
“Violence against anyone based on their religion is an act of cowardice. It is not an act of a hero. Antisemitism will not be tolerated, especially in the nation’s capital,” said Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia told AP.
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An FBI affidavit was revealed to the public on Thursday which shows that the murder was calculated and planned, with authorities alleging that Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago on Tuesday with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, as per court documents.
Next hearing on June 18
Rodriguez, was presented in federal court in Washington, where evidence revealed that he had been behaving suspiciously by pacing outside the Museum, after he approached a group of four people and opened fire, the FBI told Bloomberg.
The shooting followed the Jewish advocacy group’s annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum, which the victims had attended. The victims were engaged, according to Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter.
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“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy,” said Ted Deutch, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee.
A federal judge ordered the man to remain in custody and set a preliminary hearing for June 18.
He was charged with two counts of murder, murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person using a firearm and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a criminal complaint filed with the court.
If convicted, he faces the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison.
Steve Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, called the killings “both an act of terror and directed violence against the Jewish community.”
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” President Donald Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
“Yaron and Sarah weren’t the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone — he wanted to kill Jews,” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said.
