The suspect indicted in the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty to several counts on Thursday.
The grand jury’s Aug. 6 indictment of Elias Rodriguez included hate crime charges, the murder of a foreign official, and first-degree murder. Rodriguez pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday morning before presiding U.S. District Judge Randolph Daniel Moss, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.
Recommended Stories
- FBI seized hard drives and 'Trump'-labeled binders from John Bolton’s home
- DC sues Trump over National Guard deployment
- Judge temporarily blocks South Carolina from giving millions of voters' data to DOJ
Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen who was visiting the United States, and Sarah Milgrim, a U.S. citizen, were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21 after attending the American Jewish Committee’s “Young Diplomats Reception.”
Minutes after the shooting, Rodriguez said inside the museum, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,” according to the indictment. Officers subsequently arrested Rodriguez in connection with the shooting as he reportedly chanted “Free Palestine” and other anti-Israel statements.
According to Justice Department prosecutors, Rodriguez took a flight from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia, the day before the shooting with a semi-automatic handgun in his checked baggage, taking a car into the district. The prosecutors also said Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the Capital Jewish Museum reception that Lischinsky and Milgrim attended.
IDF EXPECTS ROUGHLY 200,000 PALESTINIANS TO DEFY GAZA CITY EVACUATION ORDER
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez repeatedly posted anti-Israel messages on social media leading up to the May murder and condoned violence against Israelis.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the attack an act of “brutal, anti-Semitic Violence” and said the DOJ would “secure the most severe possible punishment” for the shooter. The DOJ is still reviewing whether or not the suspected shooter should be subject to the death penalty.