People gather to light candles in a makeshift memorial to honor Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim who were killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, during a candlelight vigil outside of the White House in Washington, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

Terror charges added to indictment against man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers

Defendant in murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim hit with four additional counts of terrorism that US attorney in DC notes ‘carry a mandatory life sentence’

by · The Times of Israel

A man accused of murdering two Israeli diplomats in Washington, DC, 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 US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.

“These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under DC Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror,” US 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.

Among the charges already filed against him are murder of a foreign official and first-degree murder and hate crime resulting in death, with US Attorney General Pam Bondi declaring last month she will seek the death penalty.

Rodriguez fired approximately 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun, and called out “Free Palestine,” according to prosecutors.

Lawyers for Rodriguez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who both worked for Israel’s Embassy in Washington, were murdered.

Left: Yaron Lischinsky and his partner Sarah Milgrim, employees of the Israeli Embassy in the US who were killed in a shooting in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025, in an undated photo. (Israeli Embassy in Washington); Right: The suspect in the shooting, Elias Rodriguez, shouts ‘Free Palestine’ as he is arrested. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

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, which was sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 2023 invasion of Israel.