Elias Rodriguez, the 30-year-old Chicago man who killed two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., faces the death penalty, the U.S. capital's acting attorney general, Jeanine Pirro, announced at a news conference about the attack.
According to her, Wednesday evening's attack is being investigated as a hate crime and further charges are expected.
"This is a death-row case," she said Thursday, adding that it was too early to say whether prosecutors would decide to seek the death penalty.
Steve Jenson, of the FBI's Washington office, called the killings "an act of terror and violence directed against the Jewish community."
The US Department of Justice said Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as other charges, including the murder of foreign officials.
Couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot to death outside an event at the Jewish Museum of the Capital in Washington, D.C. at around 9:08 p.m. local time on Wednesday, police said. The suspect opened fire on a group of four people leaving the event, killing the two victims, police said.
Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. He was arrested at the scene shortly after the shooting. Police said the suspect also shouted "Free Palestine" before being arrested.
The suspect landed in the Washington area the day before, Jenson said, and investigators are still determining his location before the attack. According to an affidavit, officials believe he flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for a work conference.
Social media accounts associated with the suspect indicate that he has worked at the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) in Chicago as an administrative specialist since 2024.
At Thursday's court hearing, the suspect was charged and ordered to remain in custody. His next hearing was scheduled for June 18.
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