By Illinois Review
A pro-Palestinian man from Chicago is in police custody after he admitted to killing two Israeli embassy staff outside of a Jewish Museum in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, shot Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim in cold blood at 9:08 pm EDT as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The young couple had been expected to get engaged during an upcoming trip to Jerusalem.
According to news reports, the event in Washington had centered on humanitarian aid for Gaza and fostering dialogue to bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians.
The killer, as detailed by eye witnesses, was seen pacing outside of the museum just before the shooting. When four people walked out of the event, including Lischinsky and Milgrim, he opened fire on the group.
Rodriguez then entered the museum and, after admitting to the killings, was detained by security personnel.
When police arrived, Rodriquez was heard shouting, “Free, free Palestine” and “I did it for Gaza” as he was being led away in handcuffs.
The pro-Palestinain sympathizer is a Chicago resident and is linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) going back to 2017. In 2025, the Chicago-based group denied his membership.
He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Late Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement that he was “outraged by the horrifying antisemetic murder of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, DC.”
President Donald Trump also issued a statement on his Truth Social account, writing, “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!”
The President continued, “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
The murders remain under investigation.
