OAN Staff James Meyers
8:29 AM – Thursday, May 22, 2025
Two staff members of Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed outside the district’s Capital Jewish Museum by an anti-Israel terrorist on Wednesday night.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, allegedly confessed to gunning down the couple late Wednesday, when he was heard chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” authorities stated.
The victims were named by the embassy as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., said they were a couple on a night out and were about to get engaged.
As a result, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed security to be revamped for Israeli missions and representatives across the globe.
He offered his condolences to the victims, saying, “My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.”
The two victims were leaving an event being held at the museum and then were gunned down around 9 p.m. outside the building, authorities stated. Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, confirmed in a statement that the group was hosting the event.
Reports indicate that the pro-Palestine Rodriguez was pacing back and forth outside the building when he approached a group of four and started shooting by using a handgun, police said. He then entered the building where he was taken down by security, according to police.
While investigators looked into a motive behind the antisemitic killings, details have begun to come to light about the alleged murderer.
Rodriguez was once linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which is a far-left group that posts anti-Israel content across social media.
“End the genocide. Israel out of Gaza now,” the group posted Wednesday —only hours before the D.C. shooting.
Additionally, the group did confirm that Rodriguez was a member before distancing itself from him and the shooting.
“We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL,” the group said in an X post early Thursday.
“He had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017. We know of no contact with him in over 7 years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”
In a since-deleted article on the group’s Liberation news outlet, the anti-Israel Rodriguez was described as a member who participated in 2017 Black Lives Matter protests outside of the home of then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.
The protest was held on the anniversary of the death of 17-year-old Black teen Laquan McDonald, who was gunned down by a Chicago cop.
At the protest, Rodriguez was critical of Amazon, accusing them of not sharing their wealth with Black residents.
“[Amazon’s] whitening of Seattle is structurally racist and a direct danger to all workers who live in that city,” he was quoted as saying.
“So do we in Chicago and all across the country want a nation of cities dominated and occupied by massive corporations where only the rich and white can live and the vast majority of us must live on the edges of the city and society living in deeper and deeper poverty?”
“Prior to joining The HistoryMakers in 2023, he worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial firms in the technology space, both national and regionally based,” the bio page stated.
As for now, Rodriguez was being interviewed by the FBI and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department early Thursday morning to figure out why he committed such a heinous act.
Charges are expected to be filed on Thursday for the murders.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts