Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
A man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, last year was indicted on four additional counts of terrorism, in a new indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday.
The new indictment includes nine charges, including hate crimes, filed earlier. Several of the charges carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.
“These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in a statement.
Prosecutors accuse Elias Rodriguez, 31, of opening fire on people leaving an event for young professionals and diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
He fired approximately 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun, and called out “Free Palestine,” according to prosecutors.
Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who both worked for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, were killed.
Lawyers for Rodriguez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Darren B. Cox, the FBI assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, said Rodriguez wrote and published a manifesto as an attempt to “morally justify his actions” and inspire others to commit political violence.
The shooting, which was condemned by leaders worldwide, came amid polarization, including student protests, in the United States over the war in Gaza.
The FBI is calling the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., a targeted, antisemitic terror attack. The suspect — a 31-year-old from Chicago — reportedly shouted ‘free Palestine’ as he was arrested.
The war was Israel’s response to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack that left at least 1,665 Israelis and foreign nationals dead, per Israeli tallies. More than 67,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza between Oct. 7, 2023, and Oct. 7, 2025, according to Gaza health authorities.